


horizon

by pilotsirens



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I'll add more tags later, Kidnapping, M/M, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Pirates, Siren!minho, Slow Burn, Treasure Hunting, actually all of stray kids are pirates except for minho, chan is the captain, maybe other ships??, pirate!jisung, they all have prejudices about the other, this is gonna be a ride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:27:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 44,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23366164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pilotsirens/pseuds/pilotsirens
Summary: Minho is a siren, and as such, he's supposed to use his voice to lure sailors to the island where he lives, so his peers can plunder their ship. And he doesn't like being responsible for their deaths, and sometimes he dreams of what's going on beyond the horizon, in places where you sing for yourself and not in order to kill. But it's his destiny, what sirens have been doing for generations, and he can't escape it.Except one day a pirate ship manages to get to the island unnoticed and capture him. Then begins a long journey, where he's once again forced to use his voice to serve others’ purposes. And he hates it, until the crew starts becoming like a family to him.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 70
Kudos: 185





	1. Intro : long journey

**Author's Note:**

> title's from ateez's horizon, bc all of their songs give me pirates vibes and I couldn't not write a fiction set in an alternate universe with pirates without naming it after of their songs
> 
> also, english is not my first language, thought I should mention that so you don't freak out if you see any strange turn of phrase
> 
> UPDATE : Woojin is being removed from this fic

꒰ 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰 : 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 ꒱  
❛ 𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝘩𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛  
𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑡𝘩 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛 𝘩𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠  
𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑡𝘩  
𝑊𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦 ❜

_“You know what they say ? A siren is fated to die if someone hear her singing and escape it. So you must promise me, my child, that you’ll only use your voice to lure people to death. You can’t ever let someone live after they’ve heard you sing.”_

__∘ ─── ༉─── ∘_ _

Minho has always loved looking at the sky.

There’s something so appealing about it, it arouses in him a feeling he can’t quite place, the sensation of being a part of something way bigger than him. Like he can feel the immensity of the world that stretches far beyond the horizon line of the sea. He can’t help but wonder what it’s like out here, what’s going on in other parts of the world. Are there still kings and queens like in the stories, castles filled with gold and games of power, ambition and greed? Or maybe animals of various shape and height, animals he’s only heard of, lions, giraffes, horses, birds, living hidden in wild areas or tamed by men? Or beautiful landscapes, and lands that aren’t surrounded by water? He can only imagine the lives of the people out here, what are their daily life like. After all, he’s never left the island he was born on. And except for the rare boats that wander around here, packed with dirty-looking, loud humans, he’s never really interacted with someone else than his peers.

Not that he’d necessarily like too, though. He loves making up stories about knights and princesses and fairies and witches, but for what he’s seen, humans aren’t really interesting people. He’d been so disappointed the first time he’d seen some.

They’re so bland, and just so different from his kind, noisy and rowdy and careless. He’s grown up in such a calm environment that he can help but cringe when a ship passes by, and he hears roars of laughters, sounds of swords rattling and screams of joy. He doesn’t have to bear them for long, though.

As soon as a ship is visible from the island, all sirens gather up on the rocks facing it, and when the ship is close enough to hear them, they start singing, and all noise coming from the boat dies immediately. They sing together as one, their voices mingling to form one melody, heartbreaking and entrancing.

It is only a matter of seconds before the humans start to understand what’s happening. At first, there’s a bit of resistance coming from the sailors on the deck. He sees them shaking their heads, a look of terror on their tanned faces, as they try to steer away from the island. He wishes he could tell them that there’s no use trying to resist, that eventually all willpower will leave their body and they’ll obey like puppets. As much as he’s disgusted by humans, he doesn’t want them to suffer.

His mother always tells him that he’s too kind for his own good, that one day it’ll be the death of him. He doesn’t understand how not liking to kill people makes him too kind. But again, it’s what sirens have been doing for generations, since way before Minho was even born, so his mother must know best. He’s been told that he’ll get used to it eventually, the slaughter and the robbery. But for now, it’s still hard having to watch the ship drift away from its route and coming towards them and having to keep singing until every man aboard has fallen to his knees, eyes empty and mouth hanging open, waiting for orders.

He doesn’t watch as the boat crash onto the rocks, its hull teared apart, creaking horribly. He doesn’t watch as the oldest sirens go aboard and slice the crew’s throats. He doesn’t watch as they plunder the boat’s goods, and bring food, money, jewels and spices to the island. He tries to repress his nausea as the smell of blood reach his nose.

His mother and father look severely at him, but he doesn’t care. He isn’t ready yet to take part in all this, to suppress a man’s life like it was nothing. He’s sensitive, he’s always been too sensitive compared to the others, who often look down on him because of that. But as long as he has his friends, he couldn’t care less about what people may think about him.

  
He knows he doesn’t have a choice, that it’s what he’s born to do. For now, he’s only twenty, but one day, he’ll be forced to go on the boat too, and to take someone’s life. The thought makes him shiver, and he pushes it to the back of his mind. Until then, he appreciates having only to sing with the other sirens, the ones that are too young to be murderers. That he can do. He loves singing, and if he closes his eyes, he can imagine that he isn’t doing it to lure poor sailors into shipwrecking.

It’s a shame he can’t use his voice for anything else than this. He’d love to sing ballads under the night sky, to lull his little brother to sleep, and just to sing whenever he wants to because he can’t get enough of the feeling of peace that overwhelms him every time. he does it. But strict codes are established on his island, and he has to respect them if he doesn’t want to be castaway, which would mean his death.

The ancients made those rules to protect their kind, he understands that. They’re sirens, which means they’re born with a gift, their bewitching voice, and they have to protect it. When they sing, no one is able to resist their will. They can either make people fall in love with them or make them drown in the ocean.

Before, a very long time ago, they lived amongst humans. They didn’t use their power on them, only between them, to cure, heal wounds and ease pains. But one day, people started finding their power unnatural. And so they became outcasts. They were chased, kidnapped and enslaved in order to serve the other humans. Their persecutors were smart, always had earplugs on, making it impossible for them to use their voice as a weapon. So they went through this ordeal, through decades of misery.

They took part in stupid human wars, forced to fight against each other sometimes. They were killed, and they suffered, and they couldn’t use their voice for what it had originally being created : healing and soothing.

It took a group of rebels, led by a siren called Siyeon, to free them from the human’s yoke. And they swore such enslavement would never happen again. Few of them were still alive, but they went to live on a island, far from every continents, and made a promise. Their voices had been used without their consent to kill and to slaughter? Well, they would now use it to commit the same crimes, only this time it would be willingly.

And so they kept an eye for every boat that passed, and by singing they lured it to the island so it would crash on the sharp cliffs surrounding it. They took great pleasure in seeing these stupid humans, who had used them like they were some tools, begging for their lives, before killing them slowly. Siyeon was the most fearsome of them all, she showed no pity for every man that washed up on their island. She’d suffered too much because of them to even think of letting them live. She tortured them, and when she heard them scream in pain, she smirked.

It was around this time that they set rules to prevent such a tragedy to ever happen again. The first rule was to never trust a human, no matter how kind he looked. Siyeon had come up with this first rule, and she accepted no exceptions.

Rumors were that she’d had a lover among the humans, but that in the end it had appeared that he was no better than his peers, and that, heartbroken, she’d carved out his heart and put it in a chest she carried with her every time. Minho didn’t know if this part of the story was actually true, but he’d heard so much horrendous things about her that it was very possible it might’ve happened. But Siyeon had been dead for centuries, so there was no way of being sure.

  
The second rule was to never leave the island, under no circumstances. The ancients had settled there so that their kind would stay away from any human that could want to harm them. Their existence was supposed to be kept a secret. And it had worked until now: no humans had come here and gotten out alive. No one lived long enough to go home and tell everyone about these strange creatures with entrancing voices, responsible for the deaths of many of them. The people waiting for them on foreign shores must thought they died in shipwrecks and moved on. And so, sirens could keep living in peace.

If a siren left the island, it would put all of them in danger by revealing their existence to the world. They preferred to live hidden, even if it meant they couldn’t explore the rest of the world. All of them seemed to accommodate to his situation, except for Minho, who dreamed at night of going to other countries, and to meet new people and discover ways of life. But deep down he knew he would never be able to do that.

He’d have to live his whole life on this island, and to die here eventually, having never seen anything else of the world than the sun shimmering on the blue sea that seems to extend indefinitely. And he’s fine with that. He really is. It’s just that sometimes, he finds himself longing for something he can’t even name, something he believes can only be found beyond the horizon.

The third rule is the one he has the most trouble respecting. It’s the one that stipulate sirens should never use their voice for anything else than luring humans to their deaths. Of course, they’re allowed to use it between themselves, just not with other people. He knows the legend. A siren is fated to die is someone hear her singing and escape it. It has never been proven true, but no one is willing to take the chance. And Minho hates that their talent, their beautiful voice, is reduced to a weapon, something that has to be used only to spread terror and grief. He feels like he’s been given some poisoned gift, and when he sees the bodies of the sailors, lifeless on the beach, dead eyes and dead limbs, he can’t help but thinking that something about this is wrong.

But as much as Minho reproves such customs, he takes part in it nonetheless. Reluctantly, but he does it. Fortunately for him, ships don’t come often in this area. He assumes that after losing hundreds of boats around here, the humans have started to be wary of this part of the sea, and they now take other routes to find whatever the hell they’re looking for that they can’t find at home. When he doesn’t have to participate in the murder of a whole crew, Minho finds his life on the island pretty peaceful, and not unpleasant. He likes the calm. Everyone has a defined place in the small society they’ve created, and everyone is nice and outgoing. He likes the steadiness of it all, the regularity of their lives.

The island isn’t very large, but they’re about five hundred sirens living on it and they’re not crammed into each other or anything, so he guesses it must be large enough. Their houses are built with the wood of the ships they’ve dismantled, and sometimes decorated with the bones and skulls of the poor sailors who made the mistake of going too close to the shore. They have a lot of objects coming from shipwrecks, tarnished mirrors and golden chests encrusted with gemstones and silver coins with strange faces on it. They don’t use money here, they trade a service for another, and after a shipwreck every object found in the boat is brought to the center of the village for the people to choose what they want and bring it home.

Minho isn’t fully grown-up yet, and doesn’t take part in the looting, so he can’t claim anything. But more often than not his parents allow him to choose an object he likes, and they take it instead of choosing something themselves. Last time, he’d shown an interest in a nice necklace with a locket and he’d worn it ever since.

He hadn’t managed to open it, but whatever was inside, he felt it was giving him strength. His friends, Jae and Younghyun, had told him it was bad luck to wear a pendant that had belonged to humans, but he didn’t believe in such superstitions. Besides, what could possibly happen to him? He had his voice to defend himself if ever needed it. And it wasn’t like someone could attack him or anything, any ship was spotted way before it came in range to hear the singing and no one could come unnoticed to the island.

And so, his life went on, each day resembling the other. The date of his twenty-first birthday, when he would finally become a real siren, was becoming closer and closer, and he didn’t know if he was impatient or a bit anxious. Sirens had a whole ceremony planned for this occasion, one that involved, amongst other things, ancient songs supposed to bring luck to the young siren and the gift of a saltwater pearl, one of the many that had been collected centuries ago, at the time of Siyeon, and were kept since then in a chest in the leader’s house to be given at this occasion.

These beads were a symbol of the history they carried, for they had been retrieved from a human’s ship when the sirens had freed themselves, and a symbol of the world they belonged to: the sea. Indeed, even if they had legs and arms and bodies similar to humans, they were connected to the ocean in a way that humans couldn’t understand. The legend said the first sirens had been born from the water, and once dead, they would return to the water.

Consequently, the ceremony took place by the sea, in a little cove hidden between sharp rocks. Minho liked the place. He’d been there almost every year since he was born, even if of course he didn’t remember the earliest times. But he kept of it a memory of enjoyment, blurred images of people dancing in the moonlight and swimming in the ocean, and it hadn’t changed over the years.

The ritual was always a time of great amusement, where people laughed and talked and had fun together. They brought food from their houses, and everyone shared it. Minho loved it when someone turned twenty-one, because it meant they’d stop all activities to celebrate it. Unless this time, he was the one turning twenty-one. And the thought filled him with dread.

It wasn’t the ceremony that caused him apprehension. It had been six months since the last time they’d had one, and he missed the feeling of having the whole island party together. But it was the consequences of his birthday that terrified him. Once he got his pearl, he was supposed to take part in the plunder of the ships alongside the other adults, and he didn’t want that.

He didn’t think he was ready to come with knives and daggers to slash poor sailors’ throats. But Jae and Younghyun had already been through it, so it shouldn’t be that difficult, right ? If his best friends could do it, surely he could do it too.

But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, he still felt nauseous every time the subject was brought up in a conversation. His parents were excited, and his little brother ranted about how cool it would be once he would finally be considered a true siren. Minho listened to them without saying anything, unsure of what would come out of his mouth if he started speaking. He loathed lying, but he couldn’t possibly act as if the event rejoiced him. He didn’t want to ruin the cheerful mood of his family, who were so proud of him. So he smiled and nodded, and inside him he felt his stomach lurching.

Days passed, and finally it was the time. The morning of his twenty-first birthday, he opened his eyes and during the few seconds where he was still half-asleep, his mind not quite adjusted to the reality of the world around him, he felt at peace. Then the realization crashed onto him, and his heart clenched in his chest. Everything around him seemed suddenly hostile, and closed his eyes tight, hoping that maybe if he wanted it bad enough he would go back to sleep and everyone would forget about him.

But then he heard a knock, and the voice of his mom muffled by the thick wood door.

“Honey, it’s time to wake up! It’s the big day today!”

He heaved a sigh, eyes fixed on the ceiling. He could do it. He was strong. Maybe if he prayed hard enough, no ships would come to their island after today.

He laughed at his one naivety. Of course ships would still come. Because humans were dumb, and they couldn’t take a hint. As if hundreds of lost ships weren’t enough for them to start wondering if this part of the ocean was safe.

He cursed under his breath and got up to join his mom in the main room of their house.

They didn’t have any mirrors, but he caught his reflection in the basin of water next to the table. He didn’t really mind how he looked like anyway.

He knew other people his age considered him pretty, judging by the flush on their faces when they talked to him or invited him to go swim together, but he never really found what was so attractive about him. He had plain brown hair and brown eyes, and he didn’t have any specific features that could add charm to his face. Not that he cared, though. Being attractive was the least of his worries.

He ruffled his hair and frowned when he ended up having strands sticking out in every direction. His mom was waiting from him, sitting at the table, excitement sparkling in her eyes. He seated in front of her, already feeling exhausted.

“I’ve talked with Sana”, she started immediately. “She’s already at the beach with the others to start decorating! Oh, I can’t wait to see you wearing the pearl. You’re a grown-up now. I feel so proud of you, Minho, do you know that?”

“I know. I’m grateful for everything you and dad have done for me.”

He truly was. His parents had always been supportive of him, listening to him and being there for him when he needed it. He suddenly felt guilty for being so sullen today. It wasn’t his parents’ fault that he felt so disgusted towards the lives they lived. They just wanted what was best for him, in other words fitting in and not becoming an outcast.

“I trust you for not coming to the cove before tonight”, she added, unconscious of the thoughts that were going through her son’s head.

  
Ah, yes. Another tradition. The person celebrating her birthday shouldn’t come to the beach before everything was set. It was a bit too much, Minho thought, but it wasn’t the worst thing ever. He’d just have to spend the whole day in town, coping with the sidelong glances and whispers of the other people. He could deal with that. Besides, it was his last true day of freedom, he should make the most of it. Tomorrow, he’d have to work with his mum and dad and take care of the fishing to supply the island’s stocks of food.

He dressed up quickly and left his house behind him, wondering what he would do today. He could meet his friends, take a walk on the left side of the island, bathe in one of the many other coves that existed. But there was a place he wanted to see first.

He passed the few houses scattered before the forest and plunged into the woods. There, he looked at the two roads stretching in front of him. One of them, on his right, was large, well marked out, free from any weeds or brambles.

The other one looked narrower, the path barely visible from where he stood, covered in grass and plants and leaves. He’d walked on the right one countless times before, alone or with his friends or family.

The road led to a small beach protected from the wind by large rocks, and they often went there to have a picnic when the weather was good. The smallest path went on for longer and ended up in what seemed like a dead end, a deep tangle of bushes and thickets. Well, it seemed like a dead end only if you didn’t know where to look.

And Minho had spent so much time exploring the island that he’d noticed every little thing, every hideout. He was around nine at that time. It hadn’t taken long for him to spot a way through the bushes, and to weave in and out in order to go to the other side. There, he had discovered the most extraordinary thing ever.

Partially hidden by the vegetation, he almost hadn’t noticed at first. Disappointed, he had been about to go back to town, when he had seen a plank of wood entangled in creepers. He’d come closer, and he’d seen it. The boat. Shipwrecks were common around the island, given their main activity, but this one… There was something special about it, he could sense it.

It was like no other ship he’d seen before. It was like it was in the island, a part of it. He found it strange no one had ever seemed to care about a whole boat literally being a part of their home, but, well, at the time, he hadn’t thought much about it, excited as he was to play inside.

The ship was like a giant playground, and he’d spent hours searching it from top to bottom, but there was nothing inside. Nevertheless, he’d had the most exciting hours of his life here, pretending to be a pirate, those awful men his mother told him about before he went to bed. He was fascinated by pirates almost as much as he was by humans, even more, because they were humans with a little something more, a spark that made them a thousand times more interesting.

He used to be terrified of them, but he had grown up since, and he knew now that they were just a legend, such as fairies and witches, a tale used to scare children at night.

The ship had lost of its charm over the years, starting to look like what it really was in Minho’s eyes : a relic of the past, old and damaged, rotten and decayed. He had started going to see it less often, until he never went anymore. But he didn’t know why, today, he had the sudden urge to go back there.

Maybe because it was a symbol of his childhood, and he was getting nostalgic of becoming an adult today? Nevertheless, he wanted to be there, to see the ship again.

It hadn’t changed much since the last time he’d come here, a year or two before. Time really does fly, he realized, as it seemed like he’d been there just yesterday. He sighed and sat on what must’ve been at some point the bow of the ship, looking at the horizon. He always ended up looking at the horizon. He wondered if he was the only one thinking about what was beyond this line, this limit that seemed to stretch indefinitely as far as his eyes could see, what wonders unveiled themselves if you were bold enough to go and search for them.

No one here seemed to pay much attention to what was in the world if it didn’t affect their island directly. Minho stopped asking questions about it when he understood it wasn’t exactly well-regarded by the other sirens.

He touched his pendant, the gold medallion hanging at his neck. Not for the first time, he tried to imagine to whom had belonged this necklace before him. He had no way to know that his theories were right, but just the process of wondering was enough for him, it distracted him for what awaited him tonight. He hated himself for fearing this so much, he had to remind himself that it wasn’t a big deal, that not much would change after it. Even so, he felt his stomach turn.

He spent most of the day on the old ship, welcoming the fresh wind coming from the sea and the feeling of the water so close to him. God, how he loved being near the ocean. Like all sirens, he couldn’t go a day without finding himself near the seaside. It soothed the worries of his heart. When he finally stood up at dusk to join his peers, he wasn’t nervous anymore. He’d made his peace with the idea of becoming a real siren, with everything it implied. He was ready.

He heard the music even before he saw his friends, the loud bass and the soft sound of a windpipe. He felt curiously better, as if music had the capacity to lift his spirit in a way nothing else could. Thinking about it, it was probably the case. Music had an effect on him that he couldn’t appear to find anywhere else. It was one of the reasons he was so disappointed to be unable to use his voice to accompany it. How he would have loved to let his voice express everything trapped inside him! It must be so relaxing and freeing, or at least he guessed it was like that...

  
He finally arrived to the place. Jae and Younghyun spotted him before he had even set foot on the path leading to the cove. They rushed to greet him, wishing him the best and warning him that everything wasn’t quite set, but he could still come. Minho nodded and followed them down the rocks, careful not to step on a sharp edge. It wasn’t the time to open his foot and start bleeding.

Down on the beach, everyone seemed to buzz with energy. People carried large plates of food and small jars filled with fireflies, children screamed happily, and adults talked excitedly, glancing at Minho. He didn’t pay attention to them, because something else attracted his eyes. The sun was almost set, and the colors of the sky were beautiful. Minho looked at them in awe, his heart filling with wonder. Pink, purple and blue were mixing together, creating a beautiful pastel shade.

“It’s so pretty,” he said under his breath, not addressing the comment to anyone in particular.

Still, Jae was beside him and hummed in approval. They stared at the sky for a few minutes, before the sun disappeared completely behind the horizon and the sky started taking a darker shade of blue, where only small filaments of pink testified of what it had looked just moments before. Minho blinked, and turned to face his friends. They had been looking at the sky just like him, and he smiled when he saw their mouth open in admiration.

“I’ll never get tired of this”, he added.

“Me neither”, said Jae. “But now that the sun has set, you know what’s gonna happen, right?”

He had a smirk on his face, and stray locks of brown hair were falling onto his eyes. Minho knew, and he plastered a smile on his face, determined to look the happiest possible.

“Everyone!” screamed a voice near them, belonging to Daejeon, the oldest siren on the island. “I think we’re all here now. You all know why, of course. Today, we celebrate the birth of one of us, Lee Minho!”

Everyone turned to face him, and he soon found himself in the center of one giant big circle formed by all the inhabitants. And they were a lot. Too busy looking at the sky, he hadn’t noticed everyone arriving. He didn’t like being the center of the attention, and he blushed slightly when he realized that all eyes were fixed on him. Fortunately, Daejeon kept speaking, and he just nodded to what she was saying, smiling as much as his face muscles allowed him.

“It is, once again, an honor to have one of us reach the age of twenty years. Lately, the days on this island have been calm, but we have to remind ourselves that it was not always the case, and that we have to be grateful for everything Siyeon and her crew did to take us out of our misery.”

It was always the same thing, a tribute to the old sirens, to what they’d done. They’d all heard it countless times, but they all prayed nonetheless, including Minho. At least he didn’t have to do anything for the moment.

“Minho, would you like to come?”

He obeyed, his heart pounding in his chest. Instinctively, he grabbed the pendant hanging on his neck, as if it could bring him courage. He kneeled in front of Daejeon and closed his eyes as she recited blessings for him and his family.

She had a soothing voice, comforting like a lullaby. He imagined what must sound like when she sang. The oldest sirens didn’t take part in their activities with humans, they spent most of their time in their house, too tired to get up. Birthdays ceremonies were exceptions. They were here to give the pearl to the young siren reaching twenty, as if they were passing on the torch. Minho didn’t feel like he was worthy of such an honor, to follow the steps of the glorious sirens who had lived before him, but they all seemed to be okay with it, so he didn’t say anything.

Minho doesn’t remember much how the rest of the evening went. He remembers vaguely dancing, laughing and drinking a lot more liquor than he should have, but, well, you don’t turn twenty-one everyday right? At least he was able to enjoy the party instead of wallowing in a corner. And after what felt like only a few hours, when in fact it was the middle of the night, he finally laid down, Jae and Younghyun beside him, dizzy and his head filled with music. Instinctively, he reached for his pendant, and found his new pearl instead. He’d removed his necklace, the weight of the two together being a bit much. He already missed it. But it wasn’t like he could remove his pearl, so he just kept the pendant inside his pocket, close enough so he’d be able to hold it when he felt the need to.

He’d already made the decision to sleep on the beach with his two friends, so they watched as the other sirens left by small groups. Soon enough, there were only the three of them left, and Jae was asleep. Minho and Younghyun talked a bit, about anything but the ceremony and what it implied, and Minho felt a bit better. Or maybe it was because of the alcohol. He didn’t know. After a few minutes, they fell asleep.

∘ ─── ༉─── ∘

Minho woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, a feeling of dread creeping upon him. He sat down, unsure of what had caused him to wake up like this, his thoughts still a blurry mess from sleep. He waited a few seconds, listening carefully, and when he heard nothing, he resigned himself to go back to sleep, his heart still beating abnormally fast.

That’s when he heard the noise, a loud thump coming from somewhere on his left, quite far away. He jolted awake, heart pounding in his chest, eyes wide open. He knew it couldn’t be his family, they were safe at home, and it wasn’t his friends either, he could feel them beside him, breathing evenly. He looked around him but couldn’t see anything. The moon was hidden by clouds, making the night pitch-black. He hesitated a moment, then stood up, a feeling of anxiety bubbling in his chest. He heard another thump, closer this time, and he took a step back, desperately trying to see anything through the darkness. Should he wake up his friends? It was probably nothing, but he had to make sure.

He was considering asking who was here when the smell came to him, suffocating and overwhelming. The smell of something indefinable. Minho knew all the smells of this island. This one was foreign to him. He felt his heart clench and his breathing hitched, terror flooding in. Then the sound came again, undoubtedly close, and again, and again, and he still had no idea what caused it. Minho closed his eyes, trying to calm down the beating of his heart. He had to do something. He couldn’t just stay there, waiting for whatever had made that noise to reach him. He mustered up his courage and called, his voice trembling slightly: “Is there anyone here?”

There was a silence, and then something lit up the scene, and he was able to see what was going on. A man dressed up all in black, with blond hair and a sabre hanging at his side, was holding a torch. Behind him was another man, shorter and more solidly built, with dark hair. Minho felt his stomach turn. His worst fears had come true. Strangers. Strangers had berthed on their island. How had they even managed to find the cove in the dark?

“Fuck, there’s someone awake!” swore the blond one, turning to face his comrade.

Minho stood still, paralyzed by fear. His brain seemed to work slower than usual, and he just watched as the men moved toward him. They stopped a few meters away, squinting their eyes as to see him better. What did they want from him? What were they here? Were there others like them? A boat full of humans? Minho felt like he was about to throw up. He grabbed the pendant in his pocket and squeezed it hard, until the metal heat up.

“What do you want?” he found himself saying, his voice trembling slightly. He hoped they wouldn’t notice it. “How did you get here?”

The blonde one hesitated. Minho knew that if there was the need, he could always use his voice. He had a power over them. He could kill them in a matter of seconds. Maybe they didn’t even know he was a siren. He had an advantage over them. But if he used his voice, there was no going back. He hadn't forgotten about the old legend, that a siren was fated to die if someone heard their singing and escaped it. It was either killing them, or not using his power.

“We don’t want to harm you”, said cautiously the blonde one, raising the hand that didn’t hold the torch. “We’re looking for something.”

“What? We don’t have anything humans could want.”

“We’re not ordinary humans, we’re pirates”, sneered the short one, getting closer. Now, Minho could see he had an undercut, and several piercings on his ears. He tried not to show how frightened he was. “We’re looking for treasures. And every island has its treasures.”

“We don’t have anything that could interest you”, he insisted.

“Oh, but it seems that _you_ are the very thing that interest us.”

Minho’s heart stopped beating for a second. Him? They wanted him?

“Come with us willingly and you won’t be harmed”, said the blonde man, raising his saber.

Minho stepped back, terrified. He thought of Jae and Younghyun, peacefully sleeping just a few centimeters from him. He wanted them to be awake, but he was scared that if he raised his voice, the short man would come and cut his throat.

“What do you want?” he pleaded. “We have gold from other human ships, if that’s what you want.”

“Gold is nice, but you could bring us much more gold if you went with us.”

“What do you mean?”

Could it be possible … that they knew about his powers? The thought filled him with dread.

“Don’t act like this. You may be used to dumb humans, but we’re of another kind. We won’t be fooled by your pretty looks and your big innocent eyes. We know you’ve killed thousands of people with that unnatural voice of yours. And that you will continue to do so, if no one stops you. But that ain’t our problem. The others can keep killing all the humans they want, but you’re coming with us. We could use a voice to lure rich merchant ships to us. It’ll be way much easier to plunder.”

“Changbin…” said the other, sighing. “I thought we were going to do this calmly and peacefully.”

Minho was completely lost. He didn’t understand why all of this was happening suddenly, and he didn’t know how to react. What was the common procedure to follow when pirates came on an island supposed to be safe and asked you to go with them? He was sure of one thing: he didn’t want to go. So that’s what he said, knowing that if things started to get messy, he always had his voice. The thought comforted him, encouraging him to be braver. If anything happened, he would sing, and it would be okay. Except it would mean he was going to kill two people. He tried not to think too much about it.

“I’m not coming with you. Neither are any of us. We’re not some objects you can use at will to settle whatever issues you’re facing.”

The short one, Changbin apparently, growled. “At least we tried the soft way”, he said, before coming right at him.

Minho felt his eyes widen in fear and started singing, but his voice was unsure and weak, and it came out as a whine. He felt ridiculous, singing when pirates were literally in front of him, terrifying and impressive and armed with sabers and guns when he only had his voice. And he was afraid of killing them. But he didn't want to die either, so what should he do ? Before he could decide, Changbin grabbed his hands and put them behind his back, tying them with a rope, shoving a gag in his mouth.

“Don’t try to use your little trick on us, it won’t work” he warned while tightening the knot. “We’ve come prepared.”

Indeed, he had earplugs in his hand, and was ready to put them in his ears, which meant that even if Minho had wanted to kill them, he wouldn't have succeeded.

“Chan? There’s two more asleep over here,” said Changbin in a low voice, suddenly noticing Jae and Younghyun. Minho froze. He didn’t care of what was going to happen to him, but he didn’t want his friends to be hurt.

“Don’t wake them up, I don’t want to deal with three sirens at once. We only need one anyway,” said the blonde guy, who looked unwell.

Minho opened his mouth, the gag still bothering him, but before he could make a sound, Changbin put a knife against his throat. “Don’t even think about it. I won’t hesitate to kill you and to take one of your friends instead.”

So Minho kept quiet, tears starting to form in his eyes. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him. All his life had been nothing but a peaceful routine, with ships occasionally disturbing them, but never too long. And here he was, kidnapped by pirates who’d berthed God knew how on his island, his home, the place he was never supposed to leave. He felt the tears roll on his cheeks as Changbin pushed him towards the sea, where he supposed a boat was waiting. He thought of all the humans he’d seen before, dirty and loud and awful. He thought of his family, of his friends, of all the people he loved here.

“I’m sorry”, said the blonde guy to him, Chan, as he was hauled on the deck, trying to tear himself away from Changbin’s grip, but to no avail. “We don’t have any other choice.”

“Shut up! I hate you”, growled Minho as soon as they put him in a cell and removed his gag, putting as much disdain in his voice as he could. “I’ll never work for you, and I’ll never forgive you for this. You won’t get away this easily. My family won't let me die. They'll come for you, and it will be the end of you."

Chan looked kind of sad, but he didn’t say anything. He smiled bitterly at him before leaving him to cry loudly, hating himself for being too weak and for being unable to kill someone else in cold blood.

Minho started to understand what his mother meant when she said his kindness would be the death of him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay,, I hope this wasn't too much of a mess and that it didn't feel too rushed!!  
> you'll learn more in the next chapter about how did chan manage to find this island!!
> 
> don't hesitate to leave comments if you have anything to say, and well kudos if you liked this mess <33


	2. Pirate King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in this chapter you get jisung's pov and a bit of backstory!! yay!! (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guyyyys I hope you're doing well!  
> ever since I started writing since I'm dying to see pirates of the caribbeans, and now that Disney + is out in my country I'll probably watch it today or tomorrow lol...

**_somewhere in the horizon is our destination_ **

**_to get a ride right now_ **

**_you need a pirate king_ **

∘ ─── ༉─── ∘

Minho thought he couldn’t hate a morning as much as he had hated the morning of his twenty-first birthday. He was wrong.

Waking up on the hard wooden floor of a cell in a pirate ship whose crew had just kidnapped him was far, far worse than waking up in his own bed, having nothing to complain about but the fact that he would have to kill a few sailors from time to time.

How he had been stupid to reject the idea of becoming a true siren. How he had been stupid to dream about what was going on beyond the horizon, like there was a life for him out there in which he would be completely happy. How he had been stupid to underestimate the dangers of the outside world. He’d taken lightly the threats that his mother had warned him about, and now he was here, prisoner of some pirates who wanted to use him for their own benefit. Would he, one day, be able to choose his own destiny, instead of having people decide for him? He was tired of obeying, tired of doing what people expected him to do.

But now he didn’t have a choice. If he refused to do whatever the pirates had captured him for, he had no doubts that they’d throw him overboard. He was doomed. He’d never see his family again, nor his friends, nor his island. He felt his heart clench at the thought. The irony of the situation made him smile bitterly. Yesterday, he was desperate about having to stay his whole life on the island, and now he would give everything to go back on it and never leave it again.

Sleeping on the floor hadn’t been comfortable at all. He could feel his back muscles aching, sore from hours spent on the hard parquet floor. On top of that, the room he’d been thrown into didn’t have any windows, and he had no idea what time it was. Morning? Middle of the night? Afternoon? He sat up with difficulties, his hands still tied behind his back. Last night he’d been so caught up by all that was happening to him that he hadn’t paid attention to wherever he was put. He could only distinguish the vague shape of some furniture, thanks to the light coming from the space between the door and the floor.

Great. He was living the dream.

He tried to get rid of the rope tied around his wrist, but somehow, he only managed to make it worst. He winced when the rope cut deeper inside his skin. It seemed like his whole body was hurting. His head was heavy, and he had difficulties keeping his eyes open. H couldn’t really do anything but wait, so he waited.

After what seemed like hours, but had probably only been around twenty minutes, he finally heard footsteps approaching. He braced himself for whatever was going to happen. He had no idea what these pirates would do to him, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t appreciate it. He imagined being tortured, his screams echoing with no one to hear him. He shuddered at the thought. He’d done nothing wrong, and still didn’t understand how he had ended up here.

The door opened and the short man from yesterday entered the room, his brow furrowed. He was intimidating, all sharp features and tanned skin. Minho remembered his name as Changbin. As he opened the door widely, light flood in, making Minho squint. After a few seconds he became accustomed to it and discovered the room around him. He was in some sort of office. There was a desk at his left, covered by papers and some strange instruments that he couldn’t recognize, but he guessed were useful for sailing.

On the walls were pinned maps of all sorts, some of them with red circles on it. He also noticed a bed, and his eyes widened. So he could have slept on a mattress instead of staying on the floor? Why hadn’t he tried to get up to explore the room? And why hadn’t they put him on the bed directly instead of leaving him on the floor ?

Changbin didn’t leave him the time to scan the room any longer.

“We’re going, pretty boy” he said, grabbing Minho by the arm to help him get up.

He followed him without protesting. He didn’t have the energy to fight back anymore, tired as he was. Plus, at this point, he would be glad to walk a bit. His legs were numb from staying in the same position for so long.

Changbin led him through the ship, no saying a word. Minho didn’t see anyone else as they made their way to the deck, but he doubted Chan and Changbin were the only one here. He found himself looking curiously at his surroundings. He’d never been on a ship before, and everything was foreign to him, from the smell of the wood to the feeling of the boat pitching under him. It was strange, but not to the point where he found himself uneasy. He guessed it was something you got used to eventually. Not that he wanted to stay long enough to get used to it.

Finally, they arrived on the deck. The sun was high up in the sky, with no clouds in sight. The boat was a bit smaller than Minho had expected, but still reasonably large. Around them, you could see the ocean stretching endlessly. He felt his heart clench a bit when he saw no trace of an island near them, even if it was predictable. Once they’d captured him, they’d probably flew away as fast as possible.

At the bottom of the mast lay a pirate flag, white and red, with some inscriptions that Minho wasn’t able to read. The sight of it fascinated him and made him want to throw up at the same time. He thought of all the stories his mother used to tell him about pirates. Hell, he’d even wanted to become one at some point. This whole kidnapping was really just karma hitting him.

Chan was on the upper deck, at the helm. He was dressed all in black, and wearing a large hat, probably to avoid being blinded by the sun. When he heard Changbin and Minho approaching, he turned around and smiled at them. He looked sorry again when his eyes met Minho’s. The siren noticed suddenly that neither him nor Changbin were wearing earplugs. Why? Had he seemed so weak yesterday, unable to sing, that they didn’t think he was capable of using his voice? He wanted to do it, just to prove them wrong. Except he couldn’t, because he still wasn’t ready to kill.

“Hi”, Chan said when they got closer. “I’m… sorry for yesterday. I guess it might’ve been a little harsh for a first approach.”

Minho raised an eyebrow. It was an understatement.

“I didn’t introduce myself properly. I’m Bang Chan, the captain of this ship. And this is Seo Changbin. You’ve… also already met him.”

“What do you want from me?” he asked, his voice rough from all his crying. “And how did you find the island anyway?”

He didn’t ask the question burning his lips, which was if other humans also knew that sirens weren’t extinct. This would mean they weren’t safe anymore.

“Don’t worry”, said Chan, as if he could read his thoughts. “We’re the only one aware of your existence yet. And it’s a long story. I just… I’m really sorry. We truly had no choice.”

Minho hoped his relief wasn’t obvious, but he suddenly felt like a weight had been removed from his shoulders. At least his friends and family were safe. But it didn’t help his case. Chan had said they had no other choice. But for what? And how exactly had they found the island ?

“Really? What do you need a siren for?” he tried to sound as tough as possible. “And how did you find us? The location of this island had been kept hidden successfully for the past hundred years.”

“We’re looking for something in particular. A… treasure, you could say. And as for how we found you… To summarize, we used a very special compass.”

“Chan, don’t say too much to him”, growled Changbin. “We don’t know this much about sirens. For all we know, he could be able to communicate telepathically with his little friends.”

“If that was the case, you’d be dead already”, spitted Minho, disgust showing in his voice.

“You don’t think we can pick up a fight with some sirens?!” exclaimed Changbin, before laughing loudly. “We’d crush them.”

Minho wanted for him to fall overboard so bad. Chan only sighed.

“I know this isn’t the best first interaction ever, but we don’t want to harm you, er… What’s your name?”

“As if I would tell you!”

“Whatever, we don’t want to harm you. Changbin may have exaggerated a bit last night. But you’re not making things easy either and-”

“You literally kidnapped me. Sorry if I don’t want to be friends with you guys”, he said, laughing bitterly.

“Once this is over, we’ll bring you back to your island, I promise”, swore Chan, and he looked so genuine Minho almost wanted to believe him. Almost being the key word. “But we needed a siren in order to find this… Treasure. And I don’t think your kind would have let us leave alive if we’d just come to ask nicely to borrow one of you.”

Admittedly, Minho had to recognize he was saying the truth. They’d been clever not to come in plain daylight, that was for sure. Otherwise they would have ended up as every other human ship steering towards their island. Dead.

“How long will this take? And what’s so important that you need to capture a dangerous creature to help you?”

“Depends on you. And we’d rather keep it secret for now. But I can promise you, once you’ve helped us, we’ll bring you back.”

Minho didn’t know what to think. On one hand, Chan seemed sincere, but on the other hand, the guy had just kidnapped someone. And they were pirates. Pirates weren’t kind. Minho wasn’t an idiot, as much as he loved to see the good in people. He needed to remind himself that whatever trick Chan was trying to pull on him by seeming nice and caring, he was a killer. A kidnapper. And definitely not someone you could trust.

But did he really have a choice? It wasn’t like he could run away, being on a ship surrounded by water, his home probably miles away. His options were limited.

“Okay”, he finally said. “I’ll help you doing whatever you need my voice for. But if I were you, I’d be a little more cautious. I see you’re not wearing any earplugs. Nothing’s stopping me from using my voice and making you plunge into the water.”

He tried to sound mean, but apparently, he failed, as Changbin just barked out a laugh and Chan tried to hide his smile. He was tired of being seen as a joke. He wondered what would’ve happen if somebody else than him had been captured. Surely, no one else would’ve let them live. Except maybe for his closest friends, who weren’t too big on killing either. But otherwise, anyone else of this island would’ve battered them down.

“Sorry, but you’re not very frightening”, said tentatively Chan, obviously repressing a laugh. “How old… How old are you?”

Minho was tempted to stop answering from now on, but he didn’t want to go back in his cell. He wanted to stay outside, where he could see and feel the ocean. If that meant he had to do small talk to pirates, he’ll do it. Anything but going back in the dark alone. “I’m twenty-one.”

“Then I’m only one year older than you. I’m twenty-two.”

Minho frowned. Twenty-two seemed like a very young age to be the captain of a pirate ship. He needed to stop being too kind and caring about strangers, but he couldn’t help thinking of the consequences that had led such a young boy to be in this position. Surely, he must’ve been through something horrible. Where were his parents? Somewhere on the ship? Or… Dead?

Death was a foreign concept for Minho. He knew what it was, of course, because as long as sirens lived, their life eventually ended one day, but it wasn’t as definitive as it was for humans. Sirens just dissolved into water and became foam, linked to the ocean forever. And it wasn’t sad. It was just what was supposed to happen. Peaceful, serene. But humans were different.

When they died, it was messy and disturbing. They bled, red dropping and staining the sand and the rocks, and they screamed, and they seemed so distraught at the sight of their comrades dying, like it was something truly horrible. And the light in their eyes just… went out. Like their own soul was leaving their body. Like death was the end.

For sirens, it was everything but an end. If anything, it was more of a beginning, the promise that their soul would always accompany the living. It’s why they always had trouble understanding the distress of humans towards death. But they learnt to use it to their advantage. They saw how death frightened them, and so they started using it to assert their power. That’s why Minho was so reluctant at the thought of killing humans. Because he knew how much it meant to them, even if he couldn’t understand.

But even though death didn’t have the same meaning for sirens than it had for humans, it was still odd to think a twenty-two-year-old was by himself, with no parents to look after him. Sirens lived for so long that it was hard thinking you could be alone this early in your life. Maybe for humans it was perfectly fine, but Minho was bewildered.

“Changbin’s twenty”, added Chan. “And the rest of the crew is even younger. In a way, you fit perfectly with us.”

Minho didn’t like this thought, but he didn’t say anything. If the crew was even younger, did it mean that humans were separated from their parents at a very young age? He couldn’t fathom this idea.

Speaking of the rest of the crew, where were they? He hadn’t seen anyone apart from Changbin and Chan. The ship wasn’t that big. Were they hiding or something?

“If you’re so sure I won’t do anything to you, why don’t you remove this?” he said, moving his head a bit to show the rope tying his hand.

“Because we don’t trust you”, said simply Chan. “We don’t want you wandering the boat and getting your hand on sharp objects that you could use to harm us. We don’t think you’ll use your voice, but we can’t take any chances. Sorry, but you’ll have to stay tied a bit more time.”

Great, so they thought Minho was too weak to sing, but not enough to let him wander the ship by himself. He guessed it was only fair.

“Anyway, we have a deal”, said Chan, nodding in appreciation. “I’m glad we could figure things out so quickly. Changbin, we’ll be able to start planning the trip soon.”

Changbin looked upset for the first time in the whole discussion, his eyes fixed on Chan, full of concern. But right after he came back to his usual self, resting bitch face and all that.

“I’ve already started to work on the maps. But as for the route we should take, I’m not quite sure.”

As neither Chan nor Changbin seemed to know what to do with him now and were just starting to talk about sailing-related things that Minho couldn’t understand, he let his eyes wander on the ship, thinking about the conversation they just had. It wasn’t as worse as he thought he would be. They were pirates, but they didn’t seem very dangerous. Well, they did put a knife against his throat the day before. But apart from that, they just didn’t give a very ominous vibe. Minho still hated them nonetheless, no matter how parentless and young and non-threatening they were.

He hated them from taking him away from his family. He hated them for treating him as if his life was easily replaceable. He didn’t see death as something horrible, but that didn’t mean he wanted to die. There were far much things to do as a human rather than as foam. But what he hated them the most for was for considering him as an object, a way to achieve their goals.

When he was younger, he used to dream of pirates taking him away, offering him a life full of excitement and adventures. It was just a fantasy, but he imagined himself on a pirate ship, with his friends, laughing and enjoying themselves and stealing from rich merchant ships. Every child wants what they can’t have, and when he had learned that he’d spend his whole life in the same place, he’d just wanted to escape. Pirates seemed cool and badass for a kid, a great way to think of something else than his dull and bland life. Even as an adult, he had thought that maybe life was more worth living if you were traveling the world.

Maybe he hated himself as much as he hated them. Because he’d thought being outside of his island would resolve everything, he’d thought his life would be better if he could do something else than just staying and doing what he was told. He hated himself for being so naïve.

As he was scanning the deck, he spotted a small pair of eyes looking in his direction, which disappeared quickly behind a mast as soon as they noticed he had seen them. Another member of the crew, obviously. He tilted his head, curious. Chan had said they were younger, but he hadn’t specified how young. Maybe they were still children, and didn’t have a choice to be here, just like him. Poor things. Living on a pirate ship shouldn’t be a life for teenagers and children. He felt a surge of pity run through him. Until Chan spotted them too and told them to come.

“Don’t be afraid guys, he won’t hurt you”, he said, loud enough for them to hear. “I should warn you; they won’t be very friendly at first.”

“That won’t be a surprise” he answered, sarcastic.

“No, I mean… They truly hate your kind. More than Changbin and I do.”

Minho looked in their direction again, this time frowning. Their existence was supposed to be kept a secret: how possibly could they hate something that wasn’t supposed to exist?

Three boys came from behind the bigger mast, their face showing a look of disgust and suspiciousness. They wore simple clothes, plain tee-shirts and shorts, and their skin was as tanned as the other two. As they came closer, Minho was able to see them more in detail. The one in the middle was the first to catch his attention.

He was shorter than him, with plump cheeks and heart-shaped lips. His hair was dark brown and brushed his shoulders, part of it tied in a messy bun. He was wearing a white linen shirt with long sleeves and brown breeches, was barefoot and had a red piece of cloth tied around his waist. Several silver earrings hanged on his left ear.

Minho thought he was the prettiest human he had ever laid eyes on. He was looking at him like he wanted him dead on the spot.

The others didn’t seem more sympathetic. Once was taller than Minho and dressed pretty much the same as his friend, except was wearing a vest over his shirt. He had black hair and long strands of it framed his perfect face, only disfigured by a long scar running from his left eye to the middle of his cheek, as if someone had tried to slice him in half. Which, considering the dangerous life he was living, was probably what must’ve happened.

The last one seemed so young Minho felt instinctively protective of him, even if he looked at him like he was some insect he wanted to get rid of. He was the only one carrying a weapon, a golden dagger hanging at his side that he hadn’t pull out yet.

“Jisung, Jeongin, Hyunjin, meet the siren,” said Chan, as if he was introducing them to a new playmate.

*******

Jisung had never been too keen on this idea of fetching some siren to help them plunder ships more easily. He’d tried to talk Chan out of it, but he wouldn’t listen, as usual when he had his mind on something. He’d complained for a whole week, he’d even refused to eat for some time, but it hadn’t made any difference. And he hadn’t been able to keep the hunger strike going on for too long, because at some point his stomach was making more noise than Felix’s snoring at night, and Woojin’s meals smelt definitely too good for him to resist any longer.

And so, they’d sailed towards this secret island where sirens were supposed to live on, despite all of his protests. He wasn’t the only one to dislike the idea. In fact, most of them were against it, except for Changbin. Changbin, this had been a betrayal! He was usually on the youngers’ side.

Jisung really didn’t understand why a siren was such a necessary requirement for their crew. They were a good team, all eight of them. They’d never really needed anyone else. Ever since the moment when Chan had found them and brought them all on this ship, they’d made countless raids to steal goods and money, and it had been fine, except maybe for a few wounds and scars. But eh, they were pirates right? What was a pirate without some scars and crooked teeth ?

The point being, they were doing perfectly fine on their own. So why the sudden urge to find some siren to help them, for God’s sake? It wasn’t like they couldn’t handle anything themselves. They had been doing it perfectly for two years, so they could probably keep it going for even longer. Plus, he didn’t want anyone to intrude in their life.

Maybe after some time he could’ve gotten used to the idea of working with someone else. But of all the creatures and humans living on Earth, Chan had chosen a _siren_ to join them! The very reason why Jisung was on this ship in the first place, and not peacefully in his home with his parents, learning a respectable job instead of stealing and robbing. Sirens had ruined his first family. He didn’t want them to ruin this one too.

Until his sixteenth birthday, Jisung had led a quite normal life, and he’d never thought he’ll find himself on a pirate ship someday. His parents weren’t rich like the nobles who lived on the hills overlooking the capital, but they weren’t poor either. They lived in a reasonable-sized house in a nice district of the city, with a garden and a flower shop where his mother and his big brother worked. He was too young to be an apprentice at the time, but he’d always wanted to become a blacksmith, and it had always been settled between his parents and the blacksmith living over the street that one day he’ll learn the job with him.

The flower shop was nice, but it wasn’t half of their monthly income. What put butter on their bread was what his father brought from his trips overseas. His father was a sailor in the Queen’s fleet, and he was first mate in a minor boat. He often disappeared for months when he was on missions, only to come back with gifts for his wife and his sons.

They were quite happy, and life was flowing peacefully. Jisung attended a school near his house, where he had lots of friends with whom he liked to explore the city. Together, they pretended to be pirates, wizards, kings, just like any other kid do. His mother loved her little shop, where she could make small talk with the neighbors who came to buy flowers. And even though they missed their father when he was gone for too long, he always came back no matter what.

But Minhyuck, Jisung’s older brother, didn’t want to spend his whole life selling flowers. He was waiting to be old enough to apply for a position as a sailor in the royal fleet like their father. When he finally managed to do so, they went together, leaving Jisung and his mother alone, sometimes for months. And that’s when things started to get bad.

Jisung’s mother fell sick. What was only a simple cold at the beginning started to get more dangerous. She couldn’t get out of bed to open the shop, and Jisung had never learnt how to run it. They closed it, and he started to do minor jobs to help them live. But her condition worsened. She needed medication, but they couldn’t afford it, not with Jisung’s low wage that was barely enough to buy food. 

They were waiting desperately for Minhyuck and his father to come back so they could use the money to pay for a doctor, but they were on the other side of the world and no one knew when they would come back. At first, neighbors were friendly. They knew Jisung’s mother well and she had always been kind and generous. They brought soups, fish and pastries, they helped Jisung by hiring him to paint their fences or mow their lawn and then gave him a few pennies.

But after some time, his mother’s condition was so bad no one wanted to take the chance to come near her and become infected. They didn’t want Jisung to help them no more, since he spent so much time near her and could be sick and contagious too. Jisung was the only one to stay by his mother’s side until the very end, when she expired after months of sufferings. The funeral was simple and not many people attended.

After that, it was awful. Jisung spent most of his time wandering in the city, everywhere but at his home, which smelled of death and sickness. He started stealing food to survive, since he couldn’t seem to find a job paid enough to provide for his needs. He had only one thing keeping him alive now : the hope that his father and brother would come home eventually.

Except they never did. Two weeks after his mother was buried, a man dressed lavishly knocked at his door. He was sent by the Queen’s navy supervisor. When he realized Jisung was alone, he looked apologetic. The message he was here to deliver was simple: the ship on which his brother and his father had embarked had disappeared mysteriously and there was no trace of it. He’d just vanished, with all the sailors on it. There were no survivors.

Jisung’s life after this dreadful announcement is a bit blurry in his memory. He was only sixteen, almost seventeen, and he’d never lived in the streets, but he couldn’t pay for his house. He remembers walking in the city with nowhere to go to. He had nothing left, only his clothes and his mother’s pendant. He’d thought of selling it, but it was the last memory he had of his family. It was too precious for him to throw away, just for a slice of bread.

He started to mingle with people like him, stray kids who’d lost everything just like he had. He slept on the pavement, sometimes in the corner of a pub in a disreputable part of town. He made friends, members of gangs, pirates, men and women who enjoyed his company for some time, then got back to their business. He drank too much alcohol for a boy his age, but why did it matter? Life had nothing else to give to him anymore. He just waited for it to stop.

When Chan found him, he was half-dead in a dark alley, wearing ragged clothes, his skin dirtier than ever. Chan offered him a place to stay. He introduced him to Changbin, with whom he lived, and he took care of him for some time. He wasn’t a pirate, not exactly. What he was was unclear. He’d travelled a lot (he had an accent from a foreign country, somewhere Jisung had always dreamed of going), and he knew a lot of things and a lot of people. Jisung never understood why he had taken him under his wing, but he was grateful. Chan and Changbin became his new family.

Turned out Chan seemed to love looking after lost children, kids who had nowhere to go. After Jisung, he brought Jeongin home, and then Felix, Seungmin and Hyunjin. All seven of them started to become a family. They learned how to wield a sword, how to shoot with guns and how to run so fast no one could catch you. Chan owned a ship, a galleon he’d apparently inherited from his parents. Jisung thought he was quite young for owning a ship this big, but he didn’t question it too much. They’d started to sail, and Chan taught them how to steer a ship, until they were skilled enough to start boarding small boats.

And for two years, they’d called themselves pirates. They even had a name : they were the Strays. They weren’t great in number, but they were awfully good with a sword in their hands. Jisung thought he’d been born for this.

At some point, he told them about the deaths of his parents, to explain how he had ended up in the streets. As soon as he mentioned the area where the ship of his father had supposedly disappeared, Chan had looked at him, eyes wide. He’d told him about the legend of the sirens, how hundreds of ships had disappeared mysteriously as his father’s. And finally, Jisung had someone to blame for the deaths of his father and brother. He swore that if he ever encountered a siren, he’d tear them apart before they could do anything to him. And then, two years had passed.

Until Chan had said he wanted to get a siren.

He’d been so mad at Chan when he had told him. He couldn’t believe he would do that when he knew how hard it would be for him to be near a siren. But he trusted Chan, so he figured he had a good reason to want one. Even if Jisung couldn’t understand. He’d decided to trust his captain, their leader. The man to whom he owed everything, from his very own life.

Finding the sirens’ island had been quite difficult, but they’d managed to find a way get to it surprisingly quickly. It was common knowledge among sailors that hundreds of ships had disappeared suddenly in a specific part of the ocean, and information weren’t exactly too hard to obtain if you knew who to talk to. And Chan seemed to know anyone back in their home country, not only officials and professionals, but also pirates, soothsayers and counterfeiters, people who lived hidden from society.

The royal family and the police knew they existed, but they chose to close their eyes as long as they didn’t make too much trouble. More often than not, those misfits were the last resort for children whose parents had been killed at sea. At least they’d been for a majority of their crew, Jisung included. His years with the Strays hadn’t made him forget the people he’d encountered when he was at his lowest. In contrary to his mother’s friends, they hadn’t let him down.

To sum up, Chan had a lot of relations and didn’t hesitate to use them. Once he’d decided he wanted to get on this island, he’d moved heaven and earth to find what he was searching for : coordinates. A precise location. Something more concrete than gossip in pubs.

He’d spend a few nights wandering in the Haunt, the area of the capital where most pirates found themselves. It was a den where you could find almost everything you needed if you put the price or knew the right people : sailors, ships, spell books, weapons, alcohol, non all of it legal of course, but they were unbothered. The royal police rarely ever came down here : on the surface, it was a part of the town resembling all the others. They knew what was going on here, but without evidence, they couldn’t really act on it. And to find evidence, they would’ve had to dig deeper in the whereabouts of the people here, and they wouldn’t have lived long enough to find anything.

At the beginning, it seemed that no one really knew what to tell Chan. After all, no one had ever come back from this island, and no one really wanted to take the chance and try to approach it anymore, except fools or newbies. A lot of pirates had laughed at his face when he’d told them what he was looking for.

But Chan had one quality : he never gave up. Even when he was told his dream was impossible, he kept working harder to achieve it, and for that he was an inspiration for Jisung and the rest of their crew. Soon enough, he managed to get the address of some sorceress who could maybe help him.

The crew had been skeptical at first, when Chan had told them the result of his hunt for information. Sorceresses were to be threaten cautiously. Magic was an abstract power, and few were those who could master it truly. Pretenders were galore in the Haunt, and if you didn’t pay attention you could find yourself giving all of your money to a fraud.

But they had Felix to help them. He was the son of a sorceress, and he had himself a few magical powers, which came in handy when they boarded a ship. He could know for sure if someone had truly powers or if they faked it. Turned out the sorceress was a real one.

She lived in a small house not far from a forest, a bit apart from the rest of the capital. The cottage was nice from the outside, like any other house, and you could almost believe it belonged to a normal human. But the inside was filled with jars and pots, plants and flowers of all sorts, and strange objects and instruments were hanging from the ceiling or laying on a table, waiting for someone to pick them up. A witch’s house, obviously.

“Sirens?” she’d said when Chan, Jisung and Felix had come to see her. “It’s been a long time, a very long time indeed, since I’ve last heard this name… You know most people don’t believe in them, right?”

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think you could help us” had answered Chan, his voice cold. He didn’t trust anything that had to do with magic. For some reason, he loved Felix nevertheless. “We want a way to get to this island.”

The sorceress had bright hazel eyes that stood out on her black skin, and her lips were repressing a smirk. She was so beautiful Jisung couldn’t take her eyes off her. She was entrancing. She looked like she belonged in a palace, not in some cottage selling spells and enchanted flowers.

“I have something that might help you,” she said. “But it comes with a price.”

“When is it not the case?” sighed Chan. “Whatever the price, we can afford it.”

“Are you so sure about that? What I’m about to give you is a really old artefact. It’s the only one left in the whole world. That must be quite expensive, don’t you think?”

Jisung wasn’t so sure that he wanted to pay this price. But Chan left him no choice. He was truly determined to find a siren, it seemed. Jisung was completely at loss. What was so important they had to sacrifice something for it?

When the sorceress whispered in his ear the price he’d have to pay, Chan seemed a bit more hesitant. He’d gone severely paler than before. But he nodded anyway, holding out his hand for the sorceress to give him the object. She raised her eyebrows when she saw how much he was resolved and went to the back shop to retrieve what he’d asked for.

“Chan, what was the price?” asked Felix, his voice filled with concern.

But Chan only shook his head. This only increased Jisung and Felix’s worries.

The sorceress came back with a small compass which looked like the one they used to navigate, only this one was broken, the needles completely loose. There was no way it would work. They almost laughed out loud when they saw it. This was supposed to guide them to the siren’s island ? This was the old artifact that was worth so much ?

“It’s not an ordinary compass”, she said, seeing their dubious faces. “It can indicate any direction in the world. You only have to ask. And give it a bit of your blood”, she added, smiling mischievously.

“Our _blood_?” exclaimed Felix, astounded. “How much of our blood?”

Jisung wasn’t surprised. Felix wasn’t quite used to the customs here, as he came from a foreign country, but he’d been around enough to know it was nothing unusual. Magical objects often demanded a compensation for their service. It was often something only a human could offer, and the more powerful the object was, the higher was the compensation: an eye, a voice, years of one’s life. Blood wasn’t much in comparison of everything else they could have been asked to give. Still, he had a bad feeling about this.

“Only a few drops”, answered the sorceress, who seemed to enjoy immensely Felix’s shock. “Is everything alright for you?”

“I think so,” said Chan, his jaw tight. “Thank you for your service.”

“Wait, Chan, we haven’t paid yet-”

“The payment comes after,” she smiled, her head tilted slightly as if she was discovering a new species. “I’ve let a little reminder on his skin, don’t worry.”

Indeed, Jisung noticed Chan had now a black line on the back of his hand, as if someone had played with a pen and drawn on it. If he looked closer, the mark looked like an arrow, pointing directly towards Chan’s body. He didn’t know what it meant, but surely not anything good. He shuddered. He couldn’t wait to get out of here.

*******

The broken compass had indeed led them to an island. It was decided than Chan and Changbin would be the one to get out and fetch a siren during the night. The island was surrounded by sharp rocks, but the compass led them to a small cove where they could approach the boat without risking it to crash on the rocks.

Jisung felt sick knowing that this was probably where his father and his brother had died. He hadn’t been reassured when Chan and Changbin had left them, promising him to come back soon. He’d waited, hidden in a corner, for what seemed to be hours. And they’d finally come back alive, a third person between them. A siren! Jisung had resisted the urge to kill them on the spot. He had to trust Chan. It was all Chan’s plan. Everything was going to be fine.

He saw them leading the siren to Chan’s room, and close the door behind them. The siren was now crying loudly, and the sound made him feel a pang of guilt, which he quickly brushed away. He couldn’t feel guilt. This siren had maybe taken part in the murder of his brother and father. They were monsters. It was only right they got to feel trapped now.

“Chan,” he whispered while coming out of his hideout, making the captain jump a bit with surprise.

“Jisung! What are you doing awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep knowing what you were doing,” he answered shamefully. He felt like a kid who needed to be reassured after a nightmare. “How did it go?”

Chan sighed. Changbin had already gone to bed. It was only the two of them now. Jisung didn’t mind. He felt like recently they’d grown a bit apart, as if there was something Chan wasn’t telling them. It had been long since they hadn’t just talked, without planning anything. The past weeks had been dedicated to finding the siren. And even before that, Chan seemed to be talking a lot with Changbin and Woojin. Something was wrong, Jisung could feel it. But he didn’t want to pry, so he didn’t ask anything.

“It wasn’t easy. There were three, but two of them were asleep. Bad luck for the last one. He seemed a bit scared. He didn’t even try to use this voice, so we were lucky.”

Ah, so it was a he. Jisung couldn’t wait to see what he looked like. He’d never actually seen a siren. Hell, a week ago, he didn’t think they were even real! He thought they weren’t going to find anything with this enchanted compass. He’d been wrong.

“Don’t you think the others will come after us?”

Chan laughed a bit, as if Jisung had said something silly. He hated being treated like a child.

“No, I don’t think so. No one will even know we were here. They’ll probably think he drowned or something.”

Jisung hummed thoughtfully. At least that was a relief. But still, they now had a stranger aboard. And if he could free himself…

“Did you tie him tight enough?”

He thought of being murdered in his sleep by some vengeful siren and shuddered.

“Don’t worry, Jisung, I did what was necessary. You can sleep peacefully.”

Chan ruffled his hair, smiling gently, and left to go to the deck. But Jisung didn’t think he’d close his eyes at all.

In fact, he didn’t. When the sun started coming through his window, he hadn’t slept for one second. He’d drawn a bit, but mostly he’d wondered about how things would go now that they had captured a siren. What would change? Would he want to kill them at any given moment? He didn’t think he could stand being this close to someone determined to end his life for a long time. God, this was going to be a difficult situation.

As always when he was anxious, he started rubbing his thumb against the cold surface of the gold pendant hanging at his neck. He kept it hidden inside his shirt most of the time, but it soothed him to hold it in moments like this. It was the only thing left of his mother. She’d loved this pendant. His father used to have a matching one, but as he wore it all the time, he’d probably died with it.

When he heard Changbin pass his door, the siren with him, he got up, listening to any sounds. Once he was sure they were on the deck, he opened the door quietly, no wanting to be heard. Chan probably wanted to talk to the siren alone. Well, alone meant with Changbin, as they had gotten so close over the past weeks. He walked slowly until he reached the stairs to the deck. They were at the helm, talking so faintly he couldn’t hear them. He leaned on, hoping to grab some words, when…

“Oi!”

Jisung jumped and turned to see Jeongin smiling mischievously.

“Shit, Innie, you scared the shit out of me!”

“That’ll teach you to spy on people. So, what are they like?”

Jeongin was the youngest on the ship, but he was barely a few months younger than Seungmin, Felix and Jisung. He had befriended Hyunjin at school and when he had joined the Strays, he had followed him.

“I didn’t get a close look. Come with me, we’ll hide behind the mast and have a better view.”

“Can I come?” asked Hyunjin behind them.

When Jeongin was here, Hyunjin was not far behind. They slept in the same room, which explained why they always got up at the same time.

“It’ll be difficult to hide, you’re so tall,” said Jisung. Hyunjin tried to hit him with his fist, but he dodged it. At first, they didn’t get along well, but they’d started to like each other. Now they teased, but it was always playfully.

“Shut up, they’ll hear us!”

They ran towards the bigger mast and hide behind it, hands over their mouths to repress their laugh. From there, Jisung could see the siren. He seemed perfectly normal. He was a bit disappointed. He’d expected a magical creature with wings or scales or teeth and claws. But here was a boy his age, looking unwell. Which wasn’t surprising considering his situation.

All at once, the boy’s eye darted in their direction.

“Shit, he spotted us”, swore Jeongin, before Jisung nudged him in the side with his elbow.

“No swearing, Innie.”

“Don’t be afraid, guys, he won’t harm you,” said Chan, his voice suddenly louder. 

They exchanged a glance and stepped out of the shadows, before moving to the upper deck. Jisung tried not to stare too much at the siren, but he couldn’t help it. So, this was what had caused him to be an orphan. The boy -maybe he was older than Jisung after all- seemed afraid and vulnerable. Jisung could probably kill him in a few seconds. But he didn’t.

He had to recognize that as much as he already hated him, he was pretty. His body was thin and muscular, his face young and innocent. His hair was parted, brown strands falling in front of his deep brown eyes framed by long eyelashes. He seemed like a normal human. Their eyes locked for a few seconds, before the boy looked away.

“Jisung, Jeongin, Hyunjin, meet the siren,” said Chan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's it for today! I wasn't sure at first if I should add jisung's pov, but I figured it would be nice having a different point of view than minho's, it's more diversified this way... idk what's your opinion on the subject!
> 
> hope you liked it and see you soon for the next chapter!


	3. Mist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> only minho's pov for this one! hope you'll like it!

∘ ─── ༉─── ∘

Life on the ship was pretty much what Minho expected it would be. In other words, boring, hard, and monotonous. It didn’t help that he wasn’t allowed to wander the ship like everybody else but was instead confined in Chan’s room and office until they needed him. It hadn’t happened until now, but he’d only been here for four days after all. At least he wasn’t tied anymore, even if Chan’s room didn’t offer much distraction. He’d done pretty much everything there was to do here, and he was starting to get restless.

He’d studied the maps hanging on the walls and decided his favorite place was the city called _Fishiny_ , just because the name was funny. He’d looked at the book stacked on the numerous shelves _,_ but there were all in a foreign language. He’d slept on Chan’s bed, since he’d told him it was okay. He’d tried to write a message of help to send his family, but there were no bottles to send it through the window, and he knew there weren’t many chances they would’ve received it anyway.

They treated him well, at least. They’d given him new clothes and towels, which wasn’t much but better than nothing. 

Sometimes, someone came to bring him something to eat. He’d met the entire crew by now, and they were all younger than him, except for Chan. There were Jisung, Jeongin and Hyunjin, the boys he’d met on the first day. Except for Changbin, who was Chan’s first mate, they didn’t have specific posts aboard, they did mostly what was needed of them in the moment. Although Seungmin seemed to be the official cook, and Felix was the closest one to a doctor.

Felix and Seungmin were the last ones Minho had been introduced to. After his encounter with the two boys, which had gone relatively calmly since the resentment they all felt, Changbin had brought him back to Chan’s room, and he hadn’t left it since. 

Felix and Seungmin had come not long after. Minho liked them the most. Well, he tolerated them the most, because he wasn’t really feeling anything except hatred towards all the crew. But these two, he thought they were the most likely to be his friends if they had met in other circumstances.

Seungmin had a round face, with light brown hair, and he was quiet and pensive, like there was a puzzle on his mind he was constantly trying to solve. He was wearing a striped red and white shirt with black pants the two times he had visited Minho. He and Felix seemed to be joined at the hip: he never saw one without the other.

Felix seemed a bit different from the others, like he wasn’t quite human himself. It was like he just came out of a fairytale. He had a thin face, almost feminine, soft skin, and small pointed ears, with pink pastel hair. His eyes were dark brown, framed by long eyelashes, and it was like he had all the stars on his cheeks, numerous freckles spread all over his face. His lips were heart-shaped, and when he smiled, his eyes crinkled a bit, and his whole face illuminated. Not that he’d smiled at Minho: he’d just noticed it when he was talking to Seungmin.

Felix, as he discovered soon enough, had some kind of magical power. Maybe that was why he didn’t seem as afraid or suspicious as the rest of the crew in front of him. Because he was, just like Minho, more than a simple human. From what Minho had seen, he could make potions and cast small spells. He’d given him something to drink that would apparently make him be less tired, and it had worked. Minho supposed that was how the whole crew always seemed fully awake and responsive at any hour of the day. They couldn’t allow to be weak.

Felix spoke the same language as everybody else, Minho included, but when he spoke, he had a foreign accent, a bit like Chan’s but more perceptible, and sometimes he was searching the best way to formulate something, taking more time than a native speaker to do so. He also seemed hesitant when using some words, and every time he turned to Seungmin, brow furrowed, to make sure his formulation was right. He looked so inoffensive Minho was tempted to give him his trust.

To be honest, Minho didn’t expect pirates to be such soft-looking people. Apart from Changbin, who terrified him, they didn’t seem like the kind of ruthless, fierce rogues you’d expect to kidnap an innocent siren and plunder ships. He guessed things weren’t always what they seemed.

And so for four days, his life went like this, hours of waiting desperately, only interrupted from time to time by a member of the crew who brought him enough food for him to survive. To Seungmin’s credit, the food was indeed very good, although it was almost always the same: fish, potatoes, various vegetables. Minho guessed it was the easiest thing to stock for a long period of time without getting rotten. But he couldn’t be sure.

He didn’t know anything about pirate life, or about humans in general. He didn’t know what they ate, how they behaved, what were their customs. He didn’t know how if the Strays, since it was their name, organized their trips, if they often stole from other ships or if they just wandered the sea aimlessly most of the time. Until now, they hadn’t needed him, and he was starting to wonder if he was really useful for them. Only the fact that they wouldn’t have bothered to fetch a siren if he was no use to them kept him from thinking he would spend the rest of his life in the cabin of a ship. Missing his friends and family was one thing, but he hated being inactive more than anything else.

He wasn’t used to be confined. When he was on the island, he’d never spent one single day in his house. He was always outside, alone or with his friends, on the beach or in the forest, talking or playing games or simply enjoying life. Having to stay in this small room for days was making him mad. But he couldn’t resolve to ask a member of the crew to let him out. He had his pride.

On the morning of the fifth day, he felt something unusual the second he woke up. He couldn’t place it at first, as he was still half-asleep and his brain struggling to catch up with real life, but then he realized suddenly. The pitching of the boat had stop. Which could only mean one thing: they’d dropped anchor somewhere.

He stood up immediately, heart pounding in his chest. There was a small window on the wall next to him. He rushed to it, blinking to get rid of the last remnants of sleep weighing his eyelids. The sight of the outside, usually reduced to sea stretching endlessly, had changed. From his cabin, he could see another ship not far from the one he was in, and behind it the dock of a quite big city, with dozens of other boats moored. The sky was a bright blue, the sun shining, and for the first time since he’d been captured Minho smiled.

He was almost crying of relief. There it was. His chance of escaping. Freedom was at his fingertips, so close that he couldn’t believe it. He thought he was done for, that he’d never be able to see his island again. Now he was starting to feel hope bubbling in his chest.

The crew was probably in town to get food and everything they needed for the trip, that was why they’d came here. But there was no way they’d let him alone, there must be someone left on the ship to make sure he didn’t escape. He needed to find a way to get out of here without them noticing. The door was locked, he’d tried to open it every day without result, but maybe he could break the window, which had no opening system.

He looked around for any heavy object. Of course, they’d taken everything that could be used as a weapon, leaving him with useless sheets of papers and books. But maybe he could find something. He opened the drawers frantically, even if he knew their contents by heart by now. Pencils, maps, spyglass, candles, ruler, some keys and an old compass. None of them could break a window. He tried the keys, but of course it did nothing but a few scratches in the surface of the glass.

He didn’t have any other options, but he refused to give up. There was no way he’d stay here until they got back and sailed towards foreign destinations again. Who knows when they’d make a stop in a city after today? They probably made sure of buying enough food to last several months when they went in town. Minho couldn’t stay here several months. It was now or never.

He tried knocking at the window to evaluate how thick the glass actually was. It was built to resist storms and strong wind, so there was no doubt it’d be hard to break. He had to find a solution quickly. He didn’t know for how long they’d been outside, but for all he knew they could come back any minute. Panic started to flow through his veins, and he breathed in and out to calm down, his eyes scanning the room desperately for something, _anything_ that would allow him to break free.

His voice could only work on living things, so using it wasn’t possible. He could always call for the person who’d stayed to open the door for him, but that would still mean he’d have to kill them after, and that was out of the question. He hated the Strays, but he couldn’t bring himself to actually kill one of them, not when they were all so young. Even confined, he still loathed the idea of ending someone’s life.

That left him with the furniture in the room. He grabbed the chair and started to hit the window repeatedly with it, but the wood wasn’t efficient against the thick glass. He let go of the chair after several attempts and sat on the bed, tears starting to form in his eyes. So that was it. He was going to stay here indefinitely. He was going to watch through the window the town grow smaller and smaller until it would be only a dot in the horizon.

 _No!_ He refused to resign himself to this kind of life. He was a siren for god’s sake, a mythic creature with magical powers. There got to be something his voice could do to help him get out of here. Sirens never usually used their voices at objects, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t efficient. He had to try, even if it was to no avail.

He started singing, his voice trembling slightly. It had been so long since the last time he’d sang. He tried to concentrate on the window, to put all of his voice’s power on the thick glass, thinking of it shattering. Distress was fueling his singing, and he was practically begging for the glass to break, hoping that wanting it could make it happen. When he was starting to lose all hope, a tiny crack appeared on the surface of the window. His moral leavened up and he kept singing a bit louder, until the crack extended. When he thought it was enough, he grabbed the chair again and pushed it against the window with all his strength. The glass was blown to smithereens, tiny sharp fragments spreading all over the wooden floor.

Minho was panting now, exhausted by all the power it had taken to shatter it. He was amazed by his own powers, empowered by the thought that he could act on objects. This opened the door to many possibilities.

But he would think of the implications later. He couldn’t waste any seconds, not when liberty was just one step ahead. He hauled himself on the windowsill and looked down. He knew how to swim; water wasn’t a problem. He peered above him to make sure no one had heard anything on the deck and dived into the sea.

He let himself get immerged into the water completely, savoring how his muscles relaxed at its contact. He’d missed this feeling, the impression of floating, the way he suddenly weighted nothing. He counted to twenty, and then resurfaced, breathless, but a smile stretching on his lips. He did it. He was free. He was free!

Now he had to get out of the water. As much as he loved swimming, this wasn’t the right place to do it. Something was disturbing him, there wasn’t any of the rocks he’d gotten used to over the years, nor the sight of his friends waving at him from the beach. He had to find a way to get back to his island. Only then being in the sea would feel right.

He skirted the pirate ship, eyeing it regularly, ready to dive into the water if someone looked at him. But there didn’t seem to be anyone on the deck. It was almost too good to be true, but sirens believed in some kind of destiny. If he’d managed to break free, it wasn’t to be captured right away.

He reached the shore in a few breaststrokes and hauled himself on the first pontoon he could find, making sure no one would see him come out of the water. I didn’t know what was usual for human, but he didn’t want to strike them as out of the ordinary. He already knew humans didn’t differ much from sirens in terms of appearance, but as for their behavior, he had no idea what they would find strange, so he couldn’t take any chances to be noticed.

Once out of the water, his skin and clothes dried immediately, another one of his powers. It was quite useful in his situation, given the fact that none of the passerby were wet. He would blend in much more easily that if he’d been dripping all over the pavement whilst the sun was high up in the sky.

He looked around him, trying to process all the information his senses perceived. The port he had just arrived in seemed immense, stretching on for several kilometers. The ground was made of large grey stones which felt hot under his bare feet, probably from being exposed to the sun all day. Many humans were walking, some by pairs, others alone, but none of them spared a glance at Minho.

They were dressed up in fancy clothes, ones he’d only seen in the paintings the sirens retrieved from the wrecked ships. It was strange to see them in real life, and not on drawings half faded because of time and humidity. The sailors who came to their island and the pirates who’d captured him seemed like vagabonds in comparison to these people wearing lavish dresses and coats and shoes. He guessed this city must be quite important, given the evident wealth of the inhabitants.

Minho didn’t know where to look. Everything was just so appealing and so different from what he was used to. It was like a feeling of magic floated around the city, making every person and building like they were out of this world. He wasn’t dreaming, but he had to pinch himself to make sure of that.

Along the street, houses and shops succeeded each other, with colorful signs hanging above them that he couldn’t read. Everywhere his eyes landed there was a new thing to discover, small stands selling food he’d never seen before, fluffy animals running after each other, people using strange instruments to make noise.

A nice smell reigned, probably coming from the stand next to him, where an old man with pale skin and a small beard was selling what looked like pink miniature clouds. Judging by the look of delight on the children’s face queueing to buy some, it must taste good. Sadly, he didn’t have any money to try it.

A bit farther, people were singing at the top of their lungs in a language Minho didn’t understand. At first, his blood froze in his veins, almost ready to tell everyone to cover their ears, but then he remembered that this song that wasn’t deadly for the ones who heard it. He felt his stomach twist a bit at that thought. Minho longed to sing with them, to join the chorus, to let out all the feelings he’d bottled up inside him for so long into the air, without risking killing someone, himself included. They didn’t know how lucky they were to be able to sing freely like this. He would’ve done a lot of things to be in their place.

Everyone seemed so happy, couples chatting loudly and laughing and children pursuing their friends playfully. The atmosphere was light and buzzing. But not the kind of buzz that made you want to press your hands over your ears to block the noise, more of the kind of buzz that made happiness bubble in your stomach and make you think of late-night parties when you’re with your friends on the beach and when everything just feels right and you want the moment to freeze in time. He was in total awe.

He knew this wasn’t the time to marvel about the city, but he’d dreamed for so long of traveling and visiting places like this that he couldn’t help himself. It was even better than everything he had ever imagined. For one second, he actually forgot about his family and friends thousands of kilometers from here, wanting nothing else but to join the fun and enjoy himself like every other person here.

When he looked at the horizon, back at home, this was what he had in mind. Not some place filled with rogue thugs ready to sell their mother for some gold coins. This is the kind of city he saw in his dreams, the kind of city he would love to live in.

But this wasn’t possible. He had to remember that he was here because of horrible pirates who’d taken him away from everyone he loved, and that they could come back any minute and lock him up in this tiny room with nothing to do except staring at the walls.

It was out of the question for him. He composed himself a happy face, trying to match the ones of the people around him, and dived into the crowd. There, the noise and the laughs were even louder, and Minho resisted the urge to dance along to the song. The melody was lively, and everyone around him had started to clap their hands in tune. Everyone was just so cheerful he was starting to get dizzy. He wanted to take back every mean thing he’d said about humans. Some of them swere good, like the ones surrounding him now, smiling at him like he was one of them. He’d just met the wrong people.

Trying to ignore the sadness he felt at the thought of leaving, he weaved in until he reached a narrow street between a shop selling flowers and another one selling what he assumed was cakes. His stomach was starting to rumble at the smell of all these delicious pastries. He hadn’t eaten since the day before, and it seemed really far away now. But he couldn’t just take one and leave. This would make him no better than the pirates he loathed so much. No, he’d have to deal with his hunger later.

He casted a last glance of regret to the dancing crowd and entered the narrow street. No one was here, which reassured him a bit. He wasn’t fond of dark alleys like this, which gave him the impression that a member of the Strays could appear at any moment.

He had no idea where he was heading to, but he kept going nonetheless, eager to get as far away from the ship as possible. He walked until he found a small park and sat down on the ground, breathing in and out to absorb the atmosphere of the place, eyes closed. In this part of the city, the streets were less noisy, the people less jovial. He could still hear the faint noise coming from the harbor, but it as almost inaudible now. He already missed it.

He didn’t understand why he had liked it so much. It wasn’t like at home, they never partied like this on the beach, especially in summer when the sun set late. So why made it so special here that made him want to go back and dance until he couldn’t feel his feet? Why did it seem so attracting here, while he could do the same thing on his island, with people he cared about?

He sighed, and laid down, his eyes fixed on the sky. The weather was a bit colder now, and he shivered in his simple clothes. He was wearing only a shirt and some pants. If he was to spend the night here, he would have to find a rug or something to cover him or he would freeze to death. If summer here was the same as summer back home, the days were warm, but the nights were glacial. But for now, it was only about midday, so he had a bit of time before having to worry about this.

He’d done it. He’d truly escaped. He believed he’d never walk freely again, but here he was, capable of doing anything he wanted. No pirates in sight. Only innocent children with their parents, enjoying their day at the park. He could relax now: there was no way someone would find him there.

Still, a part of him couldn’t rest until he was safe at home. He had escaped, but he was still in unknown territory, with no money, and looking like a homeless wanderer. People on the port hadn’t seemed to mind, but here, he kept noticing the suspicious glance he received. Of course, the only other people dressed like him that he knew were pirates, so if they know how pirates dressed, no wonder they were wary of him. But it was obvious he wasn’t carrying any weapons, so after a while they stopped glaring at him.

He had to find a way to go back to his island. This wasn’t going to be easy. Apart from Chan and his crew, no one had ever gone to the island willingly, and not everyone knew how to find it. Chan had said he had a special compass, but Minho guessed it wasn’t the kind of things you could find in every shop. And he didn’t know how to find the island either.

He wished he had some kind of superpowers that would allow him to be home right now, instead of his stupid voice which he couldn’t even use. He closed his eyes and pictured his house, the kitchen, his father cooking fish, his mother back hugging him, his little brother playing with some toys beside them. He would have given up his voice forever to be with them right now.

This situation really was tricky, and after several minutes contemplating the options he had, he was still stuck. He couldn’t help thinking about what Chan has promised him. He’d said he would bring him back to the island after his job with them was done, but how could Minho be sure he wasn’t lying? A pirate’s word wasn’t worth anything. But right now, it seemed like the best solution to go back. At least Chan knew where to find the island for sure.

But Minho couldn’t go back, not when he’d struggled so much to escape. It was true the Strays hadn’t treated him horribly during the several days they’d spent together, but it didn’t mean they would never hurt him. And he was sure they wouldn’t welcome him warmly after his escape. He was on his own now, and he had to go to his island by himself.

He kept thinking, his brain at full capacity. He came to two conclusions. First, Chan must’ve found this compass somewhere, and maybe the person who’d sold it to him had another one, or something in the same vein. Two, to find this person, he’d have to find some place where sailors went to ask some questions, because there were the people most likely to know anything related to sailing instruments. If he was lucky, maybe one of them could even offer him to join his crew, and then he wouldn’t have to worry about _how_ to get to the island, which was a problem.

But where did sailors went once their day was over? He figured there must be some kind of bar where they all gathered before coming home, somewhere where they could drink and get hungover. Though he did not quite grasp this concept, sirens liked to do it too, when they found barrels of rums in ships. They said it was to celebrate their new victory. He’d never found it appealing, but right now, he wouldn’t have said no to some magical beverage that could make his thoughts and worries disappear.

He got up, brushing the dirt of his shirt. If he was thinking logically, sailors must gather in a place close to the sea. So as much as he disliked the idea, he was afraid he had no choice but to go back to the harbor. There, he would surely find some bar where someone would give him the information he needed.

But should he wait for the night to come, or go in plain daylight? If he waited more, the Strays would realize he wasn’t here anymore and would come to seek for him. They would search the city; he was sure of that. They wouldn’t let him go that easily after having a hard time finding him. But he went now, he was also risking being spotted more easily. The safe choice was to hide until the night, hoping the Strays would have stopped the search by then.

It wasn’t an ideal solution, but it would have to do. He looked around him, hoping to find a place comfortable enough for him to spend the whole day without drawing too much attention. He decided to go further into the city, putting as much distance as he could between the docks and himself.

He ended up in a narrow street with a staircase and sat on it, his legs weary from all the length he’d walked. He was hungry and thirsty, and he was starting to think this was all a big mistake. The adrenaline of his escape had worn off long ago, and he was slowly realizing he was alone in a city he didn’t know anything about, far away from his home, with no clue what he was supposed to do. He held on to the idea of the sailors helping him, as if it would magically resolve all his problems. The truth was, he didn’t want to admit that maybe staying aboard would have been a much safer solution. He’d only thought of escaping and he hadn’t planned that it wouldn’t solve everything.

He waited for what seemed like hours, jumping at every sound he heard, expecting one of the Strays to find him at any moment and to bring him back to the ship. He didn’t see a lot of people. Occasionally a strange fluffy animal would come next to him and make a strange purring sound. Minho found it quite relaxing. At first, he didn’t dare touch it, unsure of what it would do, but then he’d found out the creature liked being stroked. At least it hadn’t ran away, so he came to this conclusion.

When the stars started to appear in the sky, he took a deep breath and stood up to go back to the harbor. The city was much more frightening by night. He felt like shadows were lurking in the dark alleys, ready to jump and to lock him up for ever. He had rarely felt dear in his life, but now his whole body was shaking, his heart beating furiously in his chest. He thought of the cabin of the ship, narrow but safe, so much safer than these streets barely lit up which terrified him. The fluffy creature was gone now, and the streets were empty.

H walked quickly, turning around every minute to make sure no one was following him. Why was no one outside? It couldn’t be this late. Maybe humans were also afraid of the night, and that’s why they stayed in their house. Thankfully he remembered the way he had come here, and was able to find his way back easily.

When he finally reached the harbor it was much more quiet than it had been earlier in the day, but several people were still taking a walk on the docks. Though they seemed less cheerful than the dancers from before. Minho tried to locate the Strays’ ship, but he couldn’t tell the boats moored apart. They were probably long gone by now.

He kept walking. Roars of laughter were coming from a house nearby, so he came closer to take a look at what was making so much noise. It turned out it was some kind of a bar, as he realized by looking through the dirty window. Men and women were drinking, smoking and eating loudly, seated at large round wooden table. They didn’t look fancy at all, compared to the people he’d seen this afternoon. They were dressed in plain shirts and black breeches, with pistols and swords hanging at their hip, their hair carelessly tied or let loose on their shoulders. He didn’t want to go in there, but did he really have a choice? He had to face the consequences of his acts now. Besides, it was probably his only way to get out of this town. As much as he’d liked the dance before, he wasn’t planning on spending more than a day here.

He mustered all of his courage and opened the door. Immediately, all eyes turned to him, everyone suddenly quiet. He swallowed with difficulties, aware of his innocent look in this den of iniquity. Oh god, why was he here again? He summoned the image of his family, happy and soft. He did this to get back to them. As much as these people looked terrifying, they didn’t have any reason to hurt him.

He noticed the first vacant chair and sat on it, not looking at the rest of the bar. There was several seconds of silence before the discussions resumed like nothing had happened. He looked around him and tried not to wince in front of the people at his table. There were three men and two women, all looking as if they could cut his throat and play football with it.

“What ya doing here, kiddo?” said the woman closer to him, who had dark brown skin and red lips. Her hair was braided with pearls and what looked like tiny bones. “This is not a place for people your age.”

“I’m not… I…” he stuttered, unable to make a correct sentence.

“You’re too pretty to be out here by yourself” said a man with pale skin and sharp features. “Maybe you’re looking for some company?”

He leaned on and Minho could smell the relents of alcohol emanating from him. He regretted every one of his life choices right now.

“I’m not looking for anyone,” he clarified, since the man really seemed interested. “I’m looking for a place.”

The other girl, white skin and a mole under her left eye, raised her eyebrows. She was wearing a crop top, showing the tattoos stretching on her belly.

“A place! Tell us more. Maybe we can help you.”

They seemed to have fun. At least someone here was enjoying himself. It wasn’t Minho’s case. In fact, if he had eaten anything, he would’ve thrown it up long ago. Should he really mention the siren’s island? Wouldn’t it give people ideas? He was so tired of everything. He just wanted to go home. Or cry. But neither of this options seemed appropriate, so instead he said :

“I’m looking for the siren’s island.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Then one of the men at his table barked out a loud laugh, and all the others followed. He stood up and pointed at Minho, still splitting his sides laughing.

“Have you heard that! This pretty boy right here is looking for the siren island, nothing less!”

The rest of the people joined his hilarity. Minho really felt like crying now, but it would surely make people snigger at him even more.

“You’re looking for _the siren island_?” said the woman with the tattoos, bursting into laughter. “Oh boy, you know they’re only a legend, right?”

For a whole minute, they all kept laughing and laughing, until finally a little voice came out behind Minho. It was a man, barely older than him, with cheeks covered in freckles and long hair tied in a bun.

“Maybe the boy isn’t delusional. I’ve heard some rumors last week… Apparently, Chan was looking for the siren’s island.”

When he heard the name, Minho turned around, his eyes wide. If these people knew Chan, maybe there was a way he would’ve told them where he’d found his compass!

“Chan? You mean Chan as the captain of the Strays?” spit the woman beside him, scornful. “These guys who pretend to be pirates? You can’t tell me you believed this. They wouldn’t even be capable of finding a treasure if you put it in front of them!”

They all laughed loudly at this. Okay, so maybe they weren’t exactly Chan’s friends. But they _had_ heard of his aim, at least. The man who had spoken laughed too, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. He still seemed quite convinced that this island wasn’t totally a legend and that Chan may have succeeded in finding it.

“I mean, I heard he went to see the witch,” he added.

This caused people to whisper, apparently shocked. The woman beside Minho rolled her eyes.

“Don’t tell me you think there’s a chance he might find it? They’re all babies in his crew. No way they’d be able to make such a long trip without getting killed.”

She turned to Minho, and he shivered when her dark brown eyes looked him up and down.

“You’re so young… maybe you’re one of them. Actually, that’s why you’re here, right? To gather up information for them. I’ve never seen you before. Chan knows he can’t get anything out of us, so he sent you to deceive us!”

Minho shook his head, too terrified to speak. These pirates didn’t seem to like the Strays. If they found out he was in any way associated with them, he didn’t want to know what they would do with him.

“I’m not, I swear! I just want to get to this island.”

“If you think it exists, you’re as delusional as they are. And don’t you think it’s quite strange, that you happen to look for it in the same time as them?”

It was too late. Chan had been looking for information on this island, and now he was too. He couldn’t think of any good reasons he was doing it. 

They were getting closer to him now, like scavengers around a corpse. That’s when he realized that they must probably all be pirates. He was truly done for this time.

“I can’t believe Chan sent one of his babies to trick us,” said a man in his forties, a beard of three days covering his chin and cheeks. “You’d think he’d know better than to make them go into the lion’s den, but eh, who are we to judge?”

“No! I have nothing to do with them, I assure you!” he repeated, as if they would listen.

“Yeah? Well, let’s take you as a prisoner and spread the word that we have someone that might belong to them, and we’ll see if they come to seek for you. If they don’t, maybe we’ll start believing you.”

He watched in horror as the women next to him suddenly tied a rope around him, making him unable to move his arms. He opened his mouth, but his fear of killing was still rooted deeply inside him, preventing him from singing. The whole situation felt like déjà-vu. Tears of frustration rolled down his cheeks, earning him a few snickers. He looked at the whole bar, but no one made a move to help him.

It seemed like even when he wasn’t here, Chan was ruining his life. Minho watched as they brought him to a room at the back no larger than a cupboard.

“Don’t worry,” said the white girl mockingly before closing the door. “If you’re of any value to them, they’ll come for you. But not before they pay the price. They’ve been playing too much around lately and we don’t really like babies trespassing on our property. They have to learn that they’re too young for the pirate’s life."

She smiled, and he noticed two of her front teeth were missing when she slammed the door, leaving him in the dark. It was the second time in less than a week that he was locked up in a room, and he was starting to get tired of it. Except this time, it seemed less likely that he would escape one day. Except, of course, if the Strays came for him. But why would they do that? He didn’t think he was valuable enough for them to take arms against such fierce-looking pirates. He really made bad choices over bad choices.

He wanted to cry again, but he had no tears left in his eyes, so he sat against the wall and waited, thinking about the failure he was. Eventually, he fell asleep, and dreamed of swimming in the endless sea with Jae and Younghyun at his side, at a time where the horizon was still appealing for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor minho,, don't worry I swear he'll be happy... at some point
> 
> I always feel like I'm not developing enough in my chapters and that they're too short and everything happens too quickly,, I hope it doesn't feel rushed to you! 
> 
> ehe okay so I hope the next update won't be too long to come! 
> 
> as usual leave comments and kudos if you liked thiiiis


	4. End of the beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I took so long to update ;-; you'd think being in quarantine with nothing else to do I'd be more productive than ever, but it's the exact opposite aaaand English not being my mother tongue I take longer to write this than I do to write my French fanfictions,, sorry! I'll do better next time I promise!!

∘ ─── ༉─── ∘

“What do you mean, he escaped!?”

Jisung had seen Chan angry before, but never to this extent. He wasn’t even the one he was mad at, and yet he had the urgent instinct to crawl under his own skin, hoping that he would go unnoticed by the raging mess who had taken the place of their beloved captain.

Chan was most of the time a paragon of calmness. It took a lot to make him lose his composure, but when he did, it was every man for himself. Right now, his anger was directed towards Felix, for he was guarding the ship while they were away, but Jisung felt as if he was the one was responsible for the siren’s escape. After all, he was supposed to be on guard duty, but he had been so eager to wander in the city a bit that he had switched place with the blonde boy. As it appeared, it was not the best decision of the week. Who could blame him? He hadn’t set foot on earth in weeks! Felix didn’t mind staying on the ship, so they had arranged everything together.

And now, poor Felix had to go through Chan’s scolding. Jisung didn’t understand. It was obvious from the look on his face that he was sorry, he had even apologized a few times, so why was Chan still so angry? It was just a siren. Sure, they’d have to take care of the looting by themselves, but they had always done that. What was so horrible about this that Chan had to scream so loud at Felix, whom he considered to be his little brother?

Jisung decided to go to his rescue, since he was, in a way, responsible for this.

“Chan, what’s the big deal? Is losing the siren this bad that you’ll take it on one of us?” he asked, putting himself in front of Felix as if to protect him.

The rest of the crew stiffened. They knew better than to interrupt their leader when he had something to say. No one in his right mind would want to expose himself to Chan’s anger voluntarily. They had suffered from it enough when they were younger.

They all remembered their first days as pirates, when they were considered too young, too weak to go at sea and plunder ships by all the other pirates. Chan fought relentlessly with all the crews in town to prove their value, to show the world that they were worth as much as them, even if they were less experienced.

He had even been quite scary for several months, showing no mercy when they were doing sword-training, pointing the tiniest mistake they had to correct, but they knew it was to force them to give the best of them. Chan couldn’t stand people looking down on them, so he had made sure they were at their level. He did that because he loved them and wanted the best for them. He’d never been angry to the point where he would snap at one of them about something so trivial.

“Jisung, I’m not talking to you right now.” Chan’s voice was dangerously low, and Jisung repressed a shiver. His first instinct was to step out, but Felix looked so tiny, so vulnerable that he couldn’t bear to leave him alone. Felix had always been nothing but kind and soft. He didn’t deserve this.

“I just don’t understand,” insisted Jisung. “What’s so important about this siren?”

He could feel Chan repressing the urge to slap him, but he didn’t go this far. Even if he was fulminating, he would’ve never laid a hand on any of them. This didn’t make Jisung feel any better. He still looked like he could skewer them with his sword, brow furrowed, jaw tight and eyes dark.

His reaction was strange, and something didn’t sit right with Jisung. Even when they’d once lost a valuable treasure to the hands of pirate enemies, he hadn’t been so upset about it. They’d had a hard time finding a siren and bringing it on the ship, but they’d spent time finding treasures before that. Something was special about this siren, something Chan wasn’t telling them. But what?

Jisung would lie if he said he didn’t feel a bit left out at the thought of Chan keeping a secret from him. He’d always been one of the closest to their captain, the first one with Changbin and Woojin to constitute their crew. They’d always had a special bond, and for him, Chan was like a big brother. They told each other pretty much everything, and Chan was the only one who knew about his entire backstory. Not even Changbin knew all. He thought they’d never hide something from the other. He thought he was special. Clearly, Chan didn’t think the same. It hurt a bit, if he was completely honest.

But Jisung had never been one for wallowing in self-pity. If Chan was hiding something from them, fine. But it didn’t give him the right to let out his anger on them. He was ready to ask the question again when someone else raised his voice.

“Chan, maybe you should calm down a bit,” suggested Woojin, taking place besides Jisung, who felt relieved at the sudden intervention. Surely having Woojin by his side meant than Chan would come to his senses. He couldn’t be mad at him. 

And indeed, their leader seemed to hesitate for a moment, then sighed.

“Sorry, Felix. I didn’t mean to be this harsh. It’s just… I really, really needed him.”

He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes unfocused, as if he was picturing everything the siren could’ve been of use for. Woojin seemed to understand, because he patted Chan’s shoulder in a comforting manner, his eyes sad. For a brief moment, Jisung wondered if Woojin knew anything about this whole thing. It wouldn’t be surprising: Woojin was Chan’s backbone, a steady and gentle presence always by his side. They shared something that was beyond Jisung’s comprehension. When Chan was anxious, or unsure about his leadership, Woojin was always here to give him the strength he needed. They often laughed about them being the dads of the crew, raising six wild children.

They were all silent for a few moments, until Changbin’s voice came, wobbly and hesitant. Everyone turned to him at once, not quite sure they’d heard well. They were used to Changbin speaking loudly, boldly, but never in a tiny voice like this, as if he was on the verge of tears.

To their great surprise, the dark-haired pirate looked like he could cry any moment. Something in Jisung’s chest tightened. Whatever was upsetting Changbin like this, it wasn’t a trivial matter. In his whole life, he’d only seen Changbin cry twice: when Felix had been hit during a battle, and when they’d almost lost Hyunjin to the plague. Changbin never once cried when he was the one suffering. He cared so deeply about them that their health mattered over his own.

If Changbin was like this now, it meant something had happened to one of them. But what? Jisung hated not knowing.

“Chan, we need to find this siren,” Changbin said, his voice trembling slightly.

They looked at each other, as if they were having an unspoken conversation. After several seconds, Chan sighed again and nodded.

“You’re right. We should go after him.”

Jisung choked on air, eyes wide open. “Are you _kidding_ me? He could be anywhere in this damn city! I don’t know about you, but I had other plans than going through the capital in search of someone that, if I need to remind any of you, killed my father and brother!”

“I’m not forcing you to come,” said Chan coldly. “But it’s partly your fault this siren escaped. I know you hate them, and I know that if you could you’d burn him at the stake, but I need this siren and as a captain, and as your _friend_ , I’d like you to help us find him.”

Jisung thought about Changbin, who looked so worried. Chan, who hadn’t snapped at them in a long time. Woojin, who seemed infinitely sad. He was clueless about what was going on, but Chan had never failed them. If he wanted this siren, he must have his own reasons. And despite everything, he trusted Chan. He looked at the others, who were as lost as he was, but determined nevertheless to help him. They all owed Chan. He’d taken them under his wings, offered them a place to stay when everyone else rejected them. No matter what, they trusted him.

Chan smiled a bit, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“I don’t expect you to understand, but trust me on this, please. It’s important for me.”

“Fine,” grumbled Jisung. “But I hope it’ll be worth it.”

Jeongin, Felix and Hyunjin all nodded in unison when Chan looked at them expectantly. He seemed immensely relieved.

“Thank you,” he said. “Now, we need to find a plan. Alhambra is a big city, and if we don’t want to spend hours here, we need to think logically. Where would he go first? What is he looking for, and where can he find it? What are his resources? These should be the first questions to answer if we want to have a lead.”

All the sadness and anger were gone from his eyes now, and he was back to being their leader, going straight to the point and commanding efficiently. Jisung was glad to see him like this. Chan being distressed was a disturbing sight, almost as shocking as seeing Changbin ready to cry.

“So? What do we know?” asked Chan, looking each of them in the eyes.

“He’s never been outside his island,” said Felix. “He doesn’t know anything about life here, let alone how to find his way. It’s likely he got lost. But he has the appearance of a human, so that means at least people won’t see him for what he is and attack him or something like that.”

“That’s right. But I’m not sure about him getting lost. He probably wants to go back to his island.” added Hyunjin. “So that means he’ll want to stay near the docks, in hope to find a ship to bring him back.”

“But we know such ship doesn’t exist,” argued Jeongin, brow furrowed. “We are the only one who know where the island is. He’ll never find anyone.”

“That’s precisely what I’m worried about,” explained Chan, looking concerned. “He can search all he wants; he won’t find a way to go back. So where did he go?”

“Maybe he wanted to get as far away from us as possible, in hopes that we wouldn’t find him,” suggested Woojin. “That’s what I would do if I were him. Staying near the docks is surely the most efficient way to find a ship, but in my opinion he was too afraid of us to dawdle here.”

Chan turned to look at the harbour, empty of people at this time. Night had fallen and only streetlamps lit the pavement at regular intervals. If the siren was still wandering the town, he would be much easier to find than in broad daylight when the city was bustling with activity. Except, of course, if he’d already left, or found a place to stay for the night. But without any money, this last option seemed unlikely. Jisung could almost see Chan’s brain whirring from contemplating every solution, could almost feel his hope getting bigger by the minute. Whatever he needed the siren for, it was apparently a critical matter.

“I’ll bring a map and we’ll divide the town’s main quarters between us, and then spread out to have more chances of finding him” he said finally, turning around the face them.

Not waiting for their approval, he went belowdecks, probably in his cabin, to find the map of the city. During the few minutes when they were left alone, Jisung eyed Changbin, who still looked preoccupied. He didn’t know whether to ask him what thoughts made him look so grim. He was about to open his mouth when Chan got back, brandishing the map. He unfolded it on the wooden planks, and they all crouched down to get a better view.

“Okay, now let’s be quick. We’ve lost enough time. Jisung and Hyunjin, you’re going to cover the harbour and the main streets next to it, all of the Haunt’s district. Woojin and I will follow next, up until the Garden.”

The Garden was the part of the town where most parks where located. It was a lively area, filled with pastry shops and small cafés, surrounded by the two main rivers of the city. Most schools were located over here because of all the space where children could freely run and enjoy themselves between classes. It wasn’t far from the docks, so it was a possibility the siren had found shelter here.

“Felix, Jeongin, you can go over there.”

He indicated a district a bit further.

“And Changbin, Seungmin, I’ll let you guard the ship in case he returns, or someone else needs to see us. Plus, we can’t leave it unsupervised, not when we know half the city has a grudge against us.”

They all nodded, and immediately after divided into the units Chan had decided before leaving.

As soon as it was only the two of them, striding quietly in the harbour, Jisung turned to Hyunjin.

“Did you notice, too? Chan’s been acting weird lately.”

Hyunjin seemed to think for a moment, before answering, thoughtful. 

“You really think so? I haven’t paid attention. To me, he was perfectly normal.”

“Have you seen how he shouted at Felix? He usually never scolds us like that! I tell you, something’s wrong. And it has everything to do with this goddamn siren!”

“Jisung, be quiet. If you scream like this, we’re gonna get spot before we have a chance to find something.”

“Sorry, sorry,” grumbled Jisung, pursing his lips.

He knew he had a tendency to be a bit loud. It wasn’t his fault: he’d always been like this, far too enthusiastic and noisy for the other people’s liking. Back when Hyunjin had just arrived at Chan’s, it had been a problem between them. On contrary to what people may think by seeing them so close today, they hadn’t exactly got along right away. Hyunjin couldn’t stand Jisung’s noise, and Jisung couldn’t stand being disliked for literally _being himself._ That were their main reasons for fighting.

Well, that and the fact that he was jealous of Hyunjin. But this wasn’t really his fault. Hyunjin was just so _infuriating_ , being effortlessly pretty and funny and talented in what seemed like every field, when Jisung had to work twice as hard to get the same results as him. He just felt so lame next to him, spending his nights training only for Hyunjin to beat him the next morning after having a full seven-hours night of sleep. When he had an idea in mind, he worked hard to achieve it, while Jisung was easily distracted and often had to force himself to finish one task before starting another.

And what was worse was that Hyunjin had like this magnetic aura, making everyone around him appreciate him instantly. Well, apart from Jisung, as it happened. But Chan, Felix, Woojin, Changbin, Jeongin, Seungmin, everyone else seemed to succumb to his charm. He’d been the last one to join their crew, but he’d integrated more quickly than any of them.

The guy was so perfect all the girls were swooning at him when they walked on the streets. It amused Chan, but Jisung was always exasperated. And Hyunjin didn’t even care about having half the city at his feet! Like he was used to it, like having everyone one at his beck and call was something he’d experienced his whole life.

Because of this resentment, they’d fought countless times over stupid things, screaming nasty words at each other, even threatening to throw hands sometimes, and Woojin or Chan had to separate them. They’d only started to become friends after a night where Jisung had been having a nightmare, and Hyunjin was the only one awake. He’d comforted him, listening to him as he explained why he had these awful bad dreams. They’d shared things about their past and began to understand the other better. Hyunjin had confessed he was afraid of being seen only as a pretty face, and Jisung admitted he was impressed by his natural talent in sword combat. On the following morning, Chan had been surprised to find them cuddling on Jisung’s bed.

From this day, they’d become closer and closer, and now they laughed about the time when they used to despise each other. They were frequently paired when their team had to spread out to be more efficient, like tonight. When it came to fight, they worked well with each other, being skilled in different areas and therefore completing the other.

“Do you think we should visit some pubs in the Haunt?” whispered Jisung in Hyunjin’s ear, taking his word literally.

Hyunjin rolled his eyes and moved away from his friend, wiping his ear frenetically.

“You know, you can speak normally. Just don’t scream.” he said, looking mildly disgusted. “And please don’t do that again. I don’t want you to drool all over me.”

“I didn’t drool!” protested Jisung, before realizing he’d started screaming again. “Sorry. Won’t happen again.”

Hyunjin sighed dramatically, as if Jisung was a hopeless case. He wasn’t really angry with him, more resigned than anything else. Jisung was used to it. It didn’t matter. He knew that as much as he liked to send him packing, deep down he cared for him.

“And to answer your question, I don’t really see why we should go to a bar. Surely he can’t have been in one, he doesn’t have any money.”

“But that’s the best place to obtain information!” insisted Jisung. “That’s where I’d go if I had to find a ship likely to bring me to a specific island.”

“Except you’ve lived in this city for your whole life. Of course you know where to go. But do I need to remind you that it’s his first time here? He didn’t strike me as the type to fit in a bar. He’d be noticed immediately. Hell, he doesn’t even know what a bar is!”

“But what if he did enter one? What would people see anyway? Some dude looking a bit lost, a foreigner, nothing too frightening. They can’t possibly guess what he is. Maybe as we speak, he’s at a counter peacefully speaking with some cute girl while sipping some booze.”

Hyunjin raised an eyebrow. Apparently, picturing the siren in such a situation didn’t convince him. He sighed again. Jisung started to count. His record was Chan sighing twelve times because of him in the span of a half-hour.

“I don’t know, Jisung. At this time of the night, pubs in the Haunt are packed with thieves and pirates and outlaws. If he went into a bar, there’s no way we’re going to find him. He looks so naïve that he’s probably been captured already.

They fell into silence, considering Hyunjin’s last words. Jisung hadn’t thought about this, but it was a possibility. This wasn’t good. As Chan had said, half the city held a grudge against them. It wasn’t surprising coming from the Queen’s soldiers, as it was their jobs to hate renegades like them, but most pirates also held them in contempt. The reason was unclear. When they’d first started sailing, they’d received a lot of nasty comments from other crews based in Alhambra. According to them, they were too young, too inexperienced to ever set foot on a boat, much less to start plundering merchant ships.

But the Strays had proven themselves to be worthy of the name “pirate”. And this had just stirred up their jealousy and disdain. They never accepted to acknowledge them, considering them as a shameful crew that had nothing to do with them, the crème de la crème of rogues and outlaws. To most of the Haunt, they were just children wanting to play with the big boys.

Maybe that’s why Chan had been so eager to find a siren. Because it would surely bring them glory and fame, having found a mythological creature so easily. Maybe it was the reason he’d been so upset to lose him : because he had the intention to prove everyone in this city that they were real pirates, not kids anymore, that they were capable of doing things.

“If he’s been captured…” started Jisung, but he didn’t have to finish.

They both knew what it meant if he’d been captured. Either they would never see him again, because pirate crews rarely boasted about the men and women they kidnapped to serve on their ships, or, if they discovered that he was a siren, they’d probably hear of an auction on the black market where he would be sold to the highest bidder. Jisung shivered at the thought. During his time on the streets, he’d been to such an event. He wanted to wipe the memory off his brain.

It happened rarely, but it happened. Quantities of illegal auctions took place in the Haunt, selling a various range of products, from ancient cursed items to lucky charms expected to bring the bearer power and celebrity. Sometimes, the prizes were mythic animals, such as small sea dragons or firebirds. They were treated horribly, locked in small cages, fed with what their owners found, which wasn’t always what was best for them.

On rare occasions, pixies were also part of the things to sell. They were small creatures who lived in the woods and near flowers and rarely came out. Jisung had seen some as a kid, in the flower shop owned by his mom. The legend said that their wings held fantastical powers and once grind and swallowed, they would grant immeasurable strength and even immortality. Most pirates didn’t believe in such foolishness, but fairies were sold expensively enough for them to show an interest in this trade.

Selling humans was forbidden, but Jisung was sure sirens wouldn’t be considered as humans. Plus, they’d help to wreck so much ship that if anyone laid hands on one, they wouldn’t last long. How could he blame them? Himself would’ve love to teach them a lesson.

But if their siren was discovered… The auction was a dreading possibility. It was supposed to be illegal, but the Queen was busy tending to more important matters than a bunch of pirates selling creatures and objects that she had no interest in. And of course, the Strays would be powerless in case such event was held. They were already considered too kind-hearted for their job, so what would people think if they tried to stop a tradition like these auctions? And they’d never have enough money to buy him.

Jisung really hoped the siren would shut his mouth and that he would simply pass as a pretty, but stupid young man.

But there was no need to consider the worst-case scenario yet. For all they knew, the siren could simply be hiding in a dark alley, shivering from the cold and crying. Strangely, the thought made him uneasy. Maybe because it reminded him too much of himself, only several years ago.

“I don’t even know where to start!” whined Jisung, shoving his dark thoughts to the back of his mind and coming back to his usual careless, unconcerned self.

It had been his way of life for almost three years. Hiding the things hurting you behind a smile was surprisingly easier that he’d thought. When something bothered him, he could always laugh it off. He’d gotten quite good at pretending to never take anything seriously. He’d learnt to bury his feelings so far he didn’t even know how to reach out to them now. Well, it didn’t really matter. He’d just continue to see everything as a joke if it could prevent him from suffering.

Because if this, people often thought of him as indifferent and insensitive, but the truth was, Jisung was so sensitive it was his only chance not to dwell on every one of the words and actions directed to him. With the Strays, he allowed himself to relax and to show what he really felt, but in presence of anybody else it was like he became a totally different person, shoving his insecurities to some corner of his head and putting on his bright, joyful persona. Hyunjin had confessed that when they were fighting at the beginning of their relation, he was exasperated by the fact that Jisung never seemed to be serious about anything.

“I was convinced life and people were just a joke to you,” he said on this particular night when they’d gotten closer to each other. “You just seemed so detached from everything, as if nothing really mattered. I envied this, because it seemed like my head was always so full of thoughts and that I would crumble under the weight of my worries and concerns.”

Jisung had smiled bitterly. If that’s what people thought when looking at him, he was doing a good job at hiding his feelings, didn’t he? Still, he wasn’t pleased with it. And he still wasn’t now.

“I don’t know either!” sighed Hyunjin, bringing him back to the moment. “Why are we in this situation in the first place when I could be playing with Felix and Jeongin instead?”

“Because I switched place with Lix and he let the siren escape. I mean, maybe I would’ve let him escape too, so it isn’t entirely his fault… Speaking of this, couldn’t he have given us his name? I’m tired of calling him “the siren”. It’s too long.”

“Feel free to give him a surname. He won’t be here to approve of it anyway.”

“Hmm. You’re right. I should call him… Wait, I’ll find something cool…”

Hyunjin suddenly put a hand before his mouth, causing him to stop in his tracks. He looked at him, brow furrowed, but saw that Hyunjin wasn’t looking at him. He was focused on some girl walking towards them. She wasn’t swaying, meaning that she wasn’t totally drunk yet, but she let out a laugh when she got near them that definitely seemed too hysterical to come from a sober person. They froze, unsure of what to do.

“Can you believe it!” she said, still half-laughing. “I got out to find you, and you’re the one coming to me! Isn’t that funny?”

They exchanged a look. Now that she was closer, and that she had spoken, they’d both recognized her. Dark hair, white skin, dressed as if she was going to pose for fashion magazines instead of stealing valuable objects, a mole identical to the one Hyunjin had under his left eye, except she had it under her right eye.

Soojin, a member of the Idles, one of the most successful pirate crew of the town. And, coincidentally, Hyunjin’s sister.

Jisung felt Hyunjin stiffen next to him. Seeing a member of his family never failed to put him in a bad mood. He didn’t exactly know what had happened between them, but it was enough to understand that he would rather never see one of his close relatives ever again.

“How are you doing nowadays, kids?”

Despite being only two years older than them, she treated them as children just like the rest of the pirates living in this town. It was always unsettling to see both of the siblings together, because she looked so much like Hyunjin, effortlessly beautiful, but instead of hiding it like he did, she used it to her advantage. It was strange to see how confident she was, while Hyunjin’s aura seemed dimmed next to her, as if he was slowly shrinking into himself whenever she was around, like a snail in his shell.

“What were you looking for us?” asked Jisung, not playing her game.

She raised her eyebrows.

“I think you can guess. Isn’t it the reason why you’re both out so late?”

She couldn’t mean…

“We have something that belongs to you, I believe. Too bad you lost one of your little playmates.”

She’d said it almost pitifully, and Jisung resisted the urge to hit her. He was tired of no one taking them seriously. Whether it was Soojin or anyone else in this goddamn city, the result was the same : they were constantly humiliated, treated as if they weren’t worthy of any respect.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, trying to put in his voice the assurance he certainly didn’t feel in his body.

“Mmm, sure you don’t. Why don’t you come and see for yourselves? If we mistook him for one of you, I promise we’ll let you go.”

Jisung had never felt too much sympathy for the siren, but right now he wanted to slap him so hard he’d hurt his hand. This dumbass had managed to escape their ship, and for what? To get back into another cell? Not to mention he was probably treated less gently than he’d been with the Strays. He really should’ve measured his chance to have ended up with the nicest pirates out here and stayed with them. It would’ve saved both of them a lot of trouble.

Jisung looked at Hyunjin, who still seemed abnormally pale. He didn’t know what to do. Should they wait for Chan?

“I think we’d knew if we’d lost one of us,” answered Hyunjin, much to Jisung’s surprise.

If they pretended not to know him, what would they do? Would they let him free? It was unlikely. But if they admitted that they were looking for him, wouldn’t it be worse? Jisung bit his lip. He wanted Chan to be here, because he would know what to do. But if they said they were waiting for him; it was like indicating they had something to do with this person.

“You’re not a big crew,” she said. “Surely it gets monotone being with the same people all the time. Who could blame one for wanting to take a little walk alone? And kids get lost easily on streets when it’s dark…”

Jisung tried not to think about himself, not so long ago, lost and hungry, his back sore from sleeping on the pavement. He gritted his teeth. What he didn’t need was feeling pity for the siren. He was a _monster_. He didn’t deserve anything but hate from him.

“We’re doing perfectly fine, thank you for your concern,” snapped Hyunjin. “And you? Don’t you get tired of sticking your nose into everyone’s business? Don’t you have anything better to do at this hour than hanging out with your little brother? Or is your life this lame that we’re the most interesting event of your day?”

She stayed silent for a minute, eyes narrowing. Apparently, she hadn’t expected Hyunjin to react this harshly. Jisung believed it was the first time he saw her being at loss for words.

“You’ve gotten tough, I see,” she finally said, her smile returning to her lips as if nothing had happened. “I’ll leave you, if that’s want you want. But let me tell you something: if you want to get him back, you should hurry. He won’t stay here for long.”

She turned and waved her hand at them.

“We’re at the Three Lions pub, if you’re looking for us. Have a good night, little brother!”

And just like that, she was gone, disappearing in an alley nearby. Probably heading back to the pub, as she’d said. Hyunjin let out a sigh, but not a relieved sigh, more like he’d been holding his breath for too long. Jisung kept his eyes on the street where she’d turned.

“What should we do now?” he whispered, as if she could still hear them.

“I have no idea,” answered Hyunjin. “But we need to find Chan.”

∘ ─── ༉─── ∘

Finding Chan had been the easy part. Explaining him that the siren had been not only captured, but was held hostage by Hyunjin’s own sister and her crew, had been a tad more difficult. Thankfully, Chan hadn’t started to scream at them again. He looked more resigned than angry.

“I guess we don’t have a choice,” he sighed, leaning on the wall.

They found him on a street not far from where they’d meet Soojin, Woojin by his side. He and Hyunjin had left to find the others, leaving Jisung and Chan alone. He hesitated to ask the questions that had been running through his mind all day. He decided to wait. It wasn’t his place to pry information from Chan. If he wanted to tell him, he should choose the moment.

“What are we gonna do?” he asked instead.

“They’ll be expecting money in exchange for him, that’s for sure. I asked Woojin to bring some of the gold I keep onboard. I just hope they won’t ask for too much.”

“Like… A ransom? But do they have the right to do this?”

Chan let out a hollowed laugh.

“It’s been a long time since anyone here has thought about right and wrong. They’re pirates, Jisung. You know better than anyone that there’s no rules here.”

“I know, but still… We’re not like that,” he said tentatively.

“Yeah? Well we’re an exception. That’s why most people look down on us. We may be ruthless when it comes to plundering merchant ships, but when something happens to one of us, or to someone weaker than us, we act as humans. That’s the difference between us and them. And that’s why they can’t understand us.”

“It’s because they can’t understand us that they hate us? Seems like a shitty reason to me. We did nothing wrong. We’re just living our life.”

“Trust me, people don’t even need a reason to hate you sometimes.”

They fell silent after that, Jisung considering what Chan had just said. He knew that even though they acted tough, deep down they were still the same kids with a heart too soft for this life. But he didn’t see how that made them less capable of being pirates than others. They’d work hard to achieve this, and they were proud of it. They deserved to be here just like anyone else.

“Chan! Jisung!”

The rest of the Strays were coming towards them, breathless. They’d visibly run to get here.

“Hyunjin told us the Idles had them,” said Felix, panting.

“We’re not sure yet if they’re the only ones,” explained Woojin. “But it’s likely there’s more than one crew involved in this.”

Chan’s expression had changed radically. From resigned and worried, he now seemed determined and resolute. The face of a leader.

“Let’s go,” he said, his voice cold.

They all nodded, their faces stern, and started walking.

The Three Lions pub was the property of Soyeon, the leader of the Idles. Most of the bars in the Haunt were owned by pirate crews, and they gathered together in their own pubs, rarely meddling with members of other crews. The Three Lions was an exception: it welcomed pirates from any crew.

Had the siren walked in willingly, or had he been lured in? In the end, the result was the same. Jisung felt his heart beat faster in his chest, like it did before approaching a merchant ship. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, and he touched his pistol, the comfortable weight of the latter reassuring him.

In front of the pub’s door, Chan turned to give his recommendations.

“Let me do the talking, okay?”

“Copy that,” said Jeongin, and he smiled, but he couldn’t help his lips from trembling slightly.

Not for the first time, Jisung felt the urge to protect him. He was like their little brother, and had no doubt he could give his life for him. For anyone of their crew, really. He couldn’t bear the thought of one of them in pain, and he’d sacrifice a lot to keep them safe.

Chan opened the door, and Jisung stopped thinking about anything else but the mission they had.

A soon as they entered, all heads converged to them. Immediately after, all the pirates gathered here had a mocking smile on their lips. Jisung tried to keep his eyes focused on Soyeon behind the counter. She was the one they came to see. They weren’t here to start a fight with other people.

“Well, well, well, look who’s here!” she exclaimed, looking immensely happy. “Seems like the boy was one of you after all.”

Soojin was beside her, eyebrows raised. She didn’t seem surprised to see them here. She’d probably knew all along that they were lying when they pretended not to know him.

“Show us who he is.” commanded Chan. “And no harm will be done.”

To Soyeon’s left, a man laughed. He was dressed entirely in black, just like Chan. His hair was bright red, and earrings shaped like swords were dangling above his shoulders.

“No harm will be done? As if you could do us any harm.”

Chan ignored him, but it took all of Jisung’s self-control not to spit in his face.

“Show us who he is.”

Soyeon seemed to hesitate, and then she waved her hand to one of her subordinates. He stood up and went to a door behind her, disappearing. He reappeared a minute later, holding the siren by his left arm.

All hope that maybe they had the wrong person was falling apart. Jisung felt Chan stiffen ever so slightly next to him.

The siren was gagged, his eyes wide with fear. His brown hair was tousled, and a bruise was starting to spread on his cheek. His clothes were dirty and crumpled. He seemed so lost and vulnerable that for a moment, Jisung forgot that he was supposed to hate him, and got the urgent need to assure him that everything was gonna be okay.

“So? Do you know him?”

The bright side was they didn’t know exactly who he was or that he had any kind of powers. This would make it easier. But speaking of powers, why didn’t he use his voice? He’d been captured twice and hadn’t tried to use it. Maybe he really didn’t have any powers? Maybe he was too young? If that was the case, it meant he hadn’t really killed anybody for now.

“I do,” said Chan, not letting any emotion show through his voice.

“Great! Now let’s talk business.”

Was it really how it was gonna go? They’d talk, settle on a price, and they’d walk back to the ship with the siren? It seemed too easy. Jisung didn’t like it.

The siren looked terrified, and at the same time… Surprised? Had he really believed they wouldn’t come for him? He was too valuable for them to give up on him. Jisung exchanged a look with him, trying not to show too much how disturbed he was by this situation, but to reassure him at the same time. Judging by how the siren looked away, he hadn’t managed to convey this successfully. He remembered that he’d never done anything but be despicable with him. Of course he didn’t care about all the comfort Jisung wanted to give him now. Maybe he didn’t even want to come back with them.

“How much do you want?”

“I don’t know. How much did you bring?”

Soyeon wasn’t a respected leader for nothing. She’d earned her reputation. She was cunning, clever, and wouldn’t let them go away this easily. The negotiation was going to be tough.

“Enough for you to give him back to us”

“You wanna leave so soon? But we haven’t had a chat yet! It’s been such a long time since I last saw you, Christopher. How have you been?”

If the use of his real name upset him, he didn’t react. Her tone had stopped being condescending. For once, she was talking to him as an equal. The change was welcome. She was one year younger than him, but she looked like she had more experience.

“I’m doing great, thank you.”

“I’m glad to hear it. You know, Chris… there’s been rumours that you’ve been looking for a certain island. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”

“An island? Isn’t looking for islands one of our main activities as pirates?” His tone had become playful. “You know, searching for treasures and things like that… It shouldn’t be this surprising.”

Soyeon studied his face. Whatever game they were playing, she didn’t want to lose. The whole pub was now listening to them, their heads going from her to Chan. The siren himself was involved in the discussion as much as them all.

“I didn’t know you were looking for this kind of treasures,” she said. “Sirens, really?”

Next to her, the young man froze. Maybe they’d found about him after all.

“Sirens are a legend, Soyeon. You of all people ought to know that.”

“Don’t play the fool with me. You’ve been looking for the siren island. Why?”

“Do I have to justify every one of my actions to you? You’re not my captain. Where I want to go has nothing to do with you.”

“It has to do with me when your little minions are coming to _my_ pub for information. Do you think we’d be so dumb that we wouldn’t notice?”

Jisung was starting to understand what had happened. The siren had walked into the bar and had started asking questions about his island. Since they were already rumours about the Strays, he’d been mistaken for one of them searching for information. And because they weren’t exactly liked around here, he’d been captured.

“I surely didn’t think you’d been so dumb as to kidnap one of my kids. Is this common for you, depriving humans of their basic rights?”

“He went into the lion’s den himself,” shrugged Soyeon. “He knew what to expect.”

Except he didn’t. He didn’t, because he wasn’t from here, and he just wanted to go back to his family, not knowing anything about pirate customs. Jisung pictured himself in the same situation.

“Speaking of this, don’t you learn your kids to fight?” she was mocking him now. “Apart from struggling to escape, he didn’t put much of a fight. I’m disappointed.”

“He’s new.”

“Oh, so you keep collecting lost children all over the world to raise them. How touching!”

“Soyeon. Give him back. Take the money if you want, but stop playing. He hasn’t done anything. I didn’t send him here. He just wanted to help.”

“Nah, I think you deserve a lesson. You’ve been calling yourselves “pirates”, but are you really worthy of that title? It’s humiliating to be associated to you.”

“What did we even do to _you_?” said Jisung, unable to restrain himself anymore. “We’re just minding our own business!”

“You’re amateurs!” exclaimed the red-haired man. “Rookies! And you’re acting like you’ve been here for years.”

Without noticing, Jisung had almost drawn his sword. Fighting seemed inevitable now. But Chan put a hand before him.

“We don’t want to fight. We’d just like our friend back, please.”

Friend. He’d said it without flinching, as if he really believed it. Did he expect them to become friends? Or was it just to fool the others?

Soyeon seemed to think, her gaze locked in Chan’s, as if they were having an intense non-verbal discussion.

“Give the money,” she eventually said to Chan, and he threw her a bag large enough to fit a thousand golden pieces. She checked they were real ones and, satisfied, gestured to the man holding the siren.

“Free him.”

Reluctantly, he let go of him, and the young man stepped awkwardly before removing his gag and running to stand beside Chan and Jisung.

“Are you okay?” asked Chan, concerned showing though his voice.

The siren nodded, and he seemed a bit relieved. He turned to look at Soyeon.

“I’ll let you go this once, Chris. But don’t forget than you’re not welcome here, and neither is anyone of your crew. We don’t like babies acting like adults.”

“Don’t worry. We have nothing here that we’re interested in.”

With this, he bowed his head, and turned around to leave. Jisung shoot what he expected to be a death glare to anyone in the room, and they went outside.

They walked in silence before getting on their ship, where they finally felt safe.

“Well, this went better than expected,” tried Woojin, interrupting the silence.

They all turned to watch the siren, who looked like he wanted to sink through the floor with shame.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted.

Those were the first words he’d said since they’d freed him. For once, he didn’t seem like he wanted to burn them at the stake. Jisung assumed it had been a long day for everyone, and they were all too tired to get angry.

“No, it’s my fault,” said Chan to their surprise. “We haven’t been very welcoming. It’s no wonder you took the first occasion to escape. I’m sorry it had to be this way.”

“But because of me, you almost got into a fight, and you could’ve been hurt…”

“As I said, you shouldn’t blame yourself. You ran into the wrong people, that’s all.”

The siren nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. Jisung was surprised that he didn’t want to smack his head into the nearest wall anymore. Maybe seeing him so defenseless was enough to spark his protective instinct.

“I didn’t think it would be like this… I just wanted to leave. I wasn’t expecting you to come save me. But thank you...”

“It’s only natural. I promised I’d bring you back to your island after all this.”

The siren nodded again, shyly. Apparently, he hadn’t believed him. To his defense, he’d been kidnapped by them, so it wasn’t really a good start.

“Maybe it’s time we start treating each other as friends rather than enemies, don’t you think? I know you don’t have much reasons to trust us, but I think we can try. We don’t want to hurt you. We just need your help. And then, we’ll bring you back home.”

Chan seemed sincere, and Jisung knew he was. He really wanted them to get along. Typical Chan. Himself was too worn-out to think of protesting.

“Okay,” said the siren. “I won’t run away again. I promise I’ll try to help you.”

Chan smiled, and he smiled too, even if it was still unsure. After all, he still wasn’t completely at ease with them.

“So, why don’t you tell us how you’re called?” said Felix, looking kindly at him. “You know all of our names, but we don’t know yours.”

“Right.” He took an inspiration. “My name is Minho.”

“It’s a pretty name!” said Jeongin, smiling widely, which seemed to relax the siren a little bit. Jeongin had always had a knack to make people at ease.

“Welcome to the Strays, Minho” said Chan, holding out his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter wasn't too weird?? too rushed?? I'm so insecure about everything uuuh anyways I hope you enjoyed it <33


	5. Not fine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late again for updating blame animal crossing for that
> 
> also the chapter titles will feature day6's songs too because day6 are freaking talented and I love them

∘ ─── ༉─── ∘

After this, something changes between them.

Minho starts speaking with the Strays, and he finds himself pleasantly surprised by how nice and kind they are. Felix, Jeongin and Seungmin are often with him, and they talk to him about their lives, explaining what they do every day, while Minho tells them stories and legends transmitted from one generation to another amongst sirens. They learn more about each other’s customs, about each other’s way of life.

He still doesn’t quite understand how fast they’d gone from enemies ready to go at each other’s throats to almost friends, but he must admit it’s much more agreeable than being locked down in Chan’s cabin with nothing to distract him but some obscure maps about places he’s never been to.

He guesses being kidnapped and then saved by the very people you hate makes you think twice about why you hate them. And also the fact that Minho is, as his mother always put it, too kind for his own good. He can’t help it : he always sees the good in people.

Minho never thought they’d come back for him. He never thought he mattered enough for them to take arms and come claiming him back, even when a whole bunch of pirates were ready to fight them. And what Chan said… That he’d promised he’d bring him back home and that’s why he couldn’t leave him behind, it had moved him more than it should have. He was a pirate. He had no way of knowing he would keep his words, but he was so sincere, his voice so genuine… Minho wanted to believe him. He was tired of being wary, afraid of being hurt every minute. He just wanted to relax and stop worrying over everything. And getting along with them was more interesting than keeping to himself.

The past few days had been quiet and peaceful. They had left the city and were now sailing lazily towards Felix’s and Chan’s native country, for what he’d heard. He didn’t care much about where they were heading to, as long as once his job done, he would be brought back to his island. Chan hadn’t talked to him more about it, so as he wasn’t needed, he was free to accompany the others in their daily chores. 

Even since they’d agreed on trying to be friends, he’d found out he had more similarities with the Strays than he’d thought. Just like him, they were kids barely out of their teenage years, almost the same age as him. He was one of the oldest, just after Woojin and Chan. But he had the impression of being the youngest, since they were all much more experienced than him in what seemed like every field.

It wasn’t this surprising considering he’d lived his whole life secluded on an island while they were roaming the world. That’s what fascinated him the most. He never had enough of all the stories they had to tell, the tales they’d brought from other countries. Felix and Seungmin had a talent for telling stories, and Minho could listen to them for hours. There was so much he didn’t know! They made it sound like every country they’d been to was the scene of fabulous actions, each of them more extraordinary than the last. Enchanting places, legendary creatures, beautiful treasures… Just like in the stories his parents told him when he was young.

For the first time, he was starting to believe that maybe the exciting life behind the horizon that he’d longed to discover was real. That what he fantasized about as a child wasn’t just a fantasy. It didn’t feel like he was a prisoner anymore. Instead, it was almost like he was part of their crew. Everyone had welcomed him, trying to help him accommodate. He no longer slept in Chan’s room, but with Jeongin and Hyunjin. And they seemed to appreciate him.

Well, except for Jisung and Changbin. Everyone seemed to have warmed up to him, but not these ones. He doesn’t quite know why they still look at him like he’s responsible for the deaths of half their family, but their disgust towards him is evident, and he feels their judgmental stares on him when they’re in the same room. He was hoping they’d grow accustomed to him over the time, but a week and a half after his failed escape, there isn’t any progress.

Well, Minho doesn’t care. After all, it’s not like they can do anything to him, and he likes the others’ company. He doesn’t need them: they can sulk all they want. At least he tries to convince himself.

It appears living on a ship isn’t as boring as he’d thought it was on the first days of his captivity. He can begin to understand why they all seem to enjoy their life so much. At first, he was a bit lost as to why they’d chosen such a dangerous life. The altercation at the Three lions had happened in such a way that Minho suspected it wasn’t the first time they ended up in these kinds of situations. How did they keep up with the pressure, the constant fear for their life? How had they ended up as pirates ?

“At first, it was because I didn’t have a choice,” confessed Felix when he finally asked his questions, one sunny afternoon when they were done peeling the potatoes for Woojin and were looking at the sea stretching indefinitely before them. Jeongin and Seungmin were originally with them, but they had gone belowdecks to do the laundry, as it was their turn. Hyunjin had joined them a few minutes ago, and he was now listening to Felix with the same intensity as Minho. It was often the three of them, sometimes joined by the other two. Chan and Woojin were often busy, and Changbin and Jisung had gotten quite good at avoiding the siren.

The blonde boy with the cute freckles on his cheeks was the easiest to talk to. Minho guessed it was because he was the one who’d suffered the less hardships. It hadn’t occurred to him that maybe that’s why Jisung and Changbin were so suspicious, because they considered him as a threat. The thought was laughable. He was incapable of killing anyone, of using his power to defend himself, and they were still convinced he wasn’t this innocent? He wanted to tell them that if he could’ve been captured twice this easily, then it was because there was nothing to fear from him. He was too weak to cause them any harm.

“I wasn’t a pirate from the start. My sister, Rachel, she wanted to be a doctor, and my parents’ money was used to pay her tuition, so we had to use all of our saved money for her. I didn’t mind, it had been her dream for so long, I was just happy to see her fulfilling it!”

Felix was a literal ray of sunshine. Minho had never seen anyone being so positive all the time, with always a smile to lighten the mood. He’d always been one of the least aggressive to him, and now he was the closest to him. Jisung and Changbin’s disdain didn’t seem to affect him. And thankfully, they didn’t seem to mind either that he was spending so much time with him. Minho would’ve been sad to be the reason of tensions between them, even if he suspected it had already been the case.

“I thought you were the son of a sorceress,” said Minho, hesitant. “I’ve seen you make potions before, and you’re like the doctor of the crew… Why did your sister need to study? Didn’t she have those powers as well?”

Felix shook his head.

“Magical powers work in mysterious ways. Sometimes both children inherit them, sometimes only one of them, sometimes none at all. I was lucky to get them, but my sister didn’t. And our family… We’ve always been healers. Even if she didn’t have the gift, she wanted to be one as well.”

“But if you were all working to be doctors… How did you end up on a pirate ship?”

Minho was curious, but he also didn’t want to pry too much on the others’ past. He was at ease with Felix knowing he wouldn’t tell him to get lost, but he would not have dared to ask the same questions to anyone else. Felix may have had not suffered much in his past, but it wasn’t obviously the case of everyone here.

“I didn’t want to be a doctor at first : I wanted to be a sorcerer. My home country is welcoming, and I love it deeply, but I wanted to know more about magical artefacts and the different ways of practicing magic, and these kinds of practice aren’t common over there. My mother had only ever used hers to cure, but I wanted to see if I was able to do something else with it. That’s why I came to Lacerta in the first place. They have some of the best witches in the whole world ! I wanted to train and become better at using magic. But I knew nothing about the language, and when I arrived here, I was alone in a country where I couldn’t understand anyone. The first weeks were horrible. It had been my dream to come here, but I was starting to realize that it would be more difficult than I thought. I was sleeping in an inn, but my money was melting away very quickly. And then I met Chan… He’s from the same country as me, did you know?”

Minho had figured so. He’d heard them speak in a foreign language before, and Chan also had Felix’s accent, though less noticeable.

“I don’t know what I would have done without him,” confessed Felix, his voice soft. “I was so relieved to hear someone speak the same language as me! Chan helped me so much, he taught me the basics so I could at least manage to articulate a few words, explained to me the local customs, and he asked me if I needed a place to sleep where I wouldn’t have to pay. He introduced me to Jisung, Jeongin, Changbin and Woojin, and we all started to be friends! And I still had this idea of practicing my magic, but then I started to assist Chan in his works and training with them and, well… I ended up being a pirate instead of a sorcerer. Sometimes what you plan for your life takes a totally different turn, aha. At least I still have the magic books my mom gave me, and I know how to cast some spells and make some potions! And it’s enough for me. I’m glad to be where I am now.”

He smiled at the end of his monologue, and Minho started to wonder if it was Chan who’d brought them all together, appearing in their lives when they needed him the most. They cared so much about each other it was touching. It was almost like a family.

“Chan seems very kind,” he said, because he didn’t really know how to answer to this.

“He his!” exclaimed Felix, his eyes almost sparkling. “Chan is really the best leader anyone could have. He loves us so much, he’s always here for us. I think we all think of him as a kind of big brother, or a father sometimes, aha! I’m grateful that my family is still alive, but I know it’s not the case for everyone here, and it’s really comforting that he can be like an adoptive father for some of us.”

At this, Hyunjin nodded, his eyes lost somewhere on the horizon.

“Without Chan, a few of us wouldn’t even be alive,” he added.

“And the other way around is true,” said a familiar voice behind them.

They all turned, surprised to see Chan, looking contented but tired. A small smile was on his lips. For once, he didn’t have dark circles under his eyes, they were only a faint blue, as if he’d gotten several hours of sleep after weeks without closing the eye. He had his hands in the pockets of his black coat, which fluttered gently with the light breeze.

“Without you, I wouldn’t be alive.”

He had said it matter-of-factly, as if he was speaking about the weather. Minho understood that it was because Chan always spoke genuinely. He didn’t care about appearing weak. Instead, he talked about his insecurities proudly, to show that you could keep living even if you’d been through the worse. It was comforting and heartening. At first, he’d been surprised when Chan had admitted having gone through a hard time in front of him. He wasn’t part of the Strays, he’d only been here for a week and he was supposed to hate them, so to see him saying this kind of things like it didn’t matter at all, it had taken him off-guard to say the least.

Chan had seen his hesitation and told him he prided himself in knowing at first sight if someone had ill intentions or not. “And I can sense that you’re not a bad person, Minho. I trust you, despite all this.” Minho had been dumbfounded. Chan had so much faith in people that he was okay to reveal his weaknesses to someone he barely knew? Thinking about it, he wasn’t exactly wrong. Minho really _wasn’t_ a bad person. At least he didn’t think so. But still, what if he’d just been pretending all this time? If Chan cared so much about his friends, why did he trust a perfect stranger to stay with them?

It remained a mystery for Minho. But he was touched nevertheless at the thought that he had accepted him among the people he loved the most. He would not disappoint him.

“Then I’m glad you found us, because otherwise the world would’ve lost the most amazing person ever,” said Felix gently.

Chan came closer and ruffled the younger’s hair, still smiling. Their bound was very deep, like the one between two brothers. Minho couldn’t help but think of Younghyun and Jae when he saw them. They were thousands of miles from him now, farther than they’d ever been. How had they reacted? When they realized he was gone, had they looked for him and screamed his name, hoping that he was just hiding somewhere in the forest? Had they cried when they’d understood that he wouldn’t be back? He missed them so much it hurt physically.

He missed everyone at home. His parents, his brothers, his other friends. He hoped they hadn’t been too sad because of his disappearance. He couldn’t bear the thought of them being in pain because of him.

Sure, Chan and the others were friendly and nice to him (except for Jisung and Changbin), but they’d still separated him from his family. But Minho couldn’t bring himself to hate them as much as he did before, not after being rescued by them while they had no reason to do so. They had put themselves in danger to retrieve him, and he was grateful for that. Now, he clung to the promise that Chan had made to bring him back. Maybe he wasn’t as good as him to guess other people’s intentions, but he sensed that he could trust him, too. How could he not, after seeing them all together, caring so deeply for everyone here? They may be pirates, but they had nothing in common with the men and women he had seen at the pub. Maybe he had misjudged them.

He still didn’t quite know what he was needed for here, but he started to think it was a serious matter. Chan really did seem reluctant to kidnap him back then, and knowing a bit more about him he wasn’t the type to deprive someone of his rights if he could do otherwise. But what could be so important that he had to go against his own moral values? Minho guessed he would find out soon enough, and well, until then, he might as well enjoy his time with the other boys, who he was starting to appreciate a lot.

“Minho, I think we told you where we were headed to, but if I recall correctly, we didn’t tell you why, right?”

He was still surprised to be addressed in such a kind voice, like he was an old friend. On top of that, they explained a lot of things to him to make sure he wasn’t lost, like how the countries were organized and things like that. Thankfully, they spoke the same language, even if Minho had trouble understanding them sometimes because they talked so fast! But they did their best to integrate him, repeating when it was needed and giving the meaning of a word when Minho didn’t understand. They really were sweet. You’d think they belonged everywhere but on a pirate ship.

“I only know we are going to your home country. And that it’s Felix’s too,” answered Minho, tilting his head.

“Right!” exclaimed Felix, overly enthusiast. When was he not? He had like, a reserve of energy and joy that never got empty. It was strange seeing him so often with Changbin, who appeared to Minho as the most dull and stone-faced man he’d ever meet. But after all, he didn’t really know him. Maybe he had prejudices about him as well that weren’t true.

“You know when last time, I showed you on the map the city of Alhambra? It was in a country called Lacerta. Our home country is on another continent, called Eridan.”

The names rang a bell in Minho’s head. He had a brief flash of them coming from his mother’s mouth, along with a story he couldn’t remember.

“Aren’t these names… used for something else?”

Chan nodded.

“You’re right, they come from the Latin names of the main constellations. Our world is divided into six continents, all named after one: Perseus, Eridanus, Vela, Orion, Cassiopeia and Auriga. Your island is located somewhere far from the coast of Vela. Felix and I are from Aquila, a country in Eridan.”

Minho had forgotten about these names as soon as Chan had said them, but he nodded all the same. It wasn’t important anyway.

“My grandmother still lives here, and before going to… Before doing the job we need you for, I’d like to see her. It’s been a while.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“And I’ll be able to visit my family as well!” chirped Felix. “It’s been so long since I haven’t seen Rachel, I hope she’s doing well! And of course, I’ll have to go see my cousins, and my grandparents, and my friends…”

He kept on enumerating all the people he had to see, and Minho started to wonder if it wouldn’t have been quicker to say the whole country directly.

“How long… How long are we going to stay?”

“I don’t know yet. Two or three days at most. I wouldn’t want to keep you away from home for too long.”

Oh. Well, that was a good point, wasn’t it? Minho didn’t expect him to take him into consideration. He was pleasantly surprised.

“Don’t think about me, stay to see your family as long as you need to,” he assured.

“Don’t worry, we’ll see them enough. They’re used to us coming and going without staying long.”

After that, they all fell silent for a few minutes. Only the wind and the slamming of the water on the hull could be heard. Minho lowered his head and lost himself in the contemplation of the waves below him. He must admit he liked being on a ship, because of the proximity of the sea. He’d spent his whole life close to the ocean. It was a relief to have it now, surrounding him like it had always been the case. It contributed to ease him.

The Strays’ ship wasn’t as big as others, but it was still fairly impressive. They were only eight -well, nine now-, but ten more men would have fitted easily. Minho knew nothing about sailing, but he assumed it was a pretty nice ship. It was called “The Levanter”, a name which was foreign to him, but he supposed had a hidden meaning behind it.

The main deck was large and devoid of any furniture, except from a lifeboat stored on the very left of it. Two masts were standing proudly not far away from each other, and on top of the main one a flag bearing the Strays’ emblem flag fluttered in the wind, just above a small lookout point that Chan had called “crow’s nest”. Minho had seen Jisung climbing to reach it as easily as if he’d been walking on the ground, like the squirrels so abundant on his native island. Thinking of it, the young man kind of looked like a squirrel as well. He was cute, when he was not looking at Minho. Otherwise, his face immediately turned into a scowl. Minho didn’t dare approach him, not when the man appeared ready to fight him whenever his eyes landed on him.

A third mast was located on the quarterdeck, along with the helm. These were all terms Chan or Woojin had taught him. They’d said more, but Minho had forgotten about them already. He remembered the flag was called a jolly roger, because he’d found the name funny.

Belowdecks were the cabins, the kitchen, and two or three rooms were Minho hadn’t been yet. Jeongin and Hyunjin slept together, Chan alone, Jisung, Seungmin and Felix shared a room and finally, Woojin and Changbin slept together as well. They didn’t have much things in their possession, but the ship still had a homey vibe. Their rooms were decorated with books, plants, pictures, and other objects which really gave a whole “lived-in” impression. Minho liked it.

“According to my calculation, we’ll arrive in less than two days,” spoke Chan, interrupting his train of thoughts. “It’ll be the occasion for Woojin to buy some local products. It’s been a long time since I haven’t tasted vegemite!”

“What’s vegemite?” asked Minho, confused. He’d never heard that name before.

Hyunjin made a face clearly showing that not having tasted vegemite in a long time wasn’t a problem for him.

“It’s disgusting,” he whispered to Minho. “The thing tastes like salt. First time I ate it, I almost spit it out right after.”

Felix and Chan gasped in unison. The youngest elbowed Hyunjin, who whined in pain dramatically.

“I’m gonna lose my arm!” he moaned while leaning on the ledge of the ship, clutching his arm tightly.

Minho laughed without even thinking of it, loud enough for them to all turn to face him, speechless.

“So you can laugh!” exclaimed Felix.

“It’s good to hear you express a feeling,” added Hyunjin, all pain forgotten.

Minho blushed a bit. He hadn’t mean to laugh so loud. Until now, he’d been quite reserved, not like his usual loud and cheerful personality. He was starting to feel more and more at ease in their presence. He didn’t know if it was a good sign or not. Right now, they all looked at him, smiling widely, and he mirrored their smile.

∘ ─── ༉─── ∘

Like Chan had planned, they arrived in Aquila the day after, just before the night, without encountering any merchant ships on the way. Their journey had been peaceful, and to Minho’s relief, they hadn’t approached any of the ships passing by. He was afraid he would be asked to use his voice to lure some towards them, but it hadn’t been the case.

Chan lowered the Strays’ emblem they used when they were alone at sea to replace it with a more neutral flag, a red white and blue one.

“It’s Aquila’s flag,” he explained to Minho. “This way we won’t be spotted as a foreigner, and we won’t have to go through the customs. Aquila’s policy towards visitors is pretty strict. We’ll probably have to put up with a control, but Felix and I have a resident card, so they’ll let us pass. Foreigners can enter if they’re under the supervision of Aquilians.”

Minho nodded. It seemed it was all he could do : nod and stock all the information somewhere in his brain in case they would come of use later. He wouldn’t have to act or anything: the others would take care of everything. He just had to go with the flow.

He was excited to discover the capital of another country. The world was so vast, and now that he finally had the chance to visit it, he wouldn’t restrain himself. He hadn’t seen much of Alhambra, but it had been nice, and he was eager to see if every human town was as pleasant. He was quite anxious about having to be surrounded by possible pirates again, but this time, he wouldn’t be alone. Chan and Felix would be with their family all day, but Hyunjin, Seungmin, Woojin and Jeongin had assured him they’d visit the capital together during this time. As for Jisung and Changbin, he didn’t know what they planned to do, but surely, they wouldn’t come with them.

He hadn’t talked to them since they’d saved him, not once. They did their best to avoid him, but on a ship, you eventually ran into everyone at some point. Changbin didn’t seem this hostile, but he could feel the anger coming from Jisung whenever they saw each other. It was obvious that the less time they were together, the better they were.

And with no surprise, when they got out of the ship after answering a few questions from a woman dressed in blue about where they were coming from and how long they intended to stay, Jisung and Changbin disappeared together. Jeongin sighed but didn’t say anything.

“We should give them time,” Woojin said, encouraging as always. “It’s not easy for them.”

“I know, but still… I miss them.”

Jeongin seemed so miserable that Minho felt a pang of guilt rise in his chest. It was his fault if the members weren’t as close as they used to be. He tried his best to keep a low profile, hoping that they would grow accustomed to him, but it didn’t seem to be working. He knew they would be better off without him, but what could he do? Isolate himself and never speak? Be in his cabin and pretend he doesn’t exist?

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, because he couldn’t really do anything else.

“Don’t think about it too much,” reassured Woojin. “They’ll get used to you.”

But Minho doubted it. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it, so he shook the feeling off.

“Let’s enjoy our day!” said Hyunjin, sounding far more enthusiastic than he really was, like he was forcing himself. “I’ve never been in Aquila. There’s a lot of things I want to discover!”

“You’ve never been here?” said Jeongin, visibly surprised. “Oh, that’s right, you weren’t a member yet last time we came here.”

“Why do you always forget that we didn’t join the Strays at the same time?”

Minho had learnt during one of their late-night discussions that Jeongin and Hyunjin actually knew each other before, but that Jeongin had been found by Chan before him. Hyunjin had been the last one to join the crew. Minho didn’t know why they hadn’t stayed together, but it was not his place to ask. They already shared a lot with him, and he didn’t want to pry more.

“I don’t know! In my head, we’ve just always been together!” grumbled Jeongin, flustered.

“Well, it’s not the case!”

They started bickering, but anyone could see that it was just playful banter. It was not unusual to see them like this, like two children fighting over who had gotten more candy. Minho paid little interest to their teasing remarks. That was one of the main differences he found between him and the humans: even though they were barely younger than him, he had the impression of being much more mature. He guessed it had to do with education and culture. Otherwise, he’d integrated rather quickly. After all, before they isolate on their islands, sirens had lived amongst humans. It wasn’t surprising they had kept the same culture overall. Except from small differences, he could pass as a human without trying too hard.

He turned his attention to the city before him. For what he could see, it seemed much bigger than Alhambra. Giant buildings seemed to stretch to the sky, higher than everything Minho had ever seen. To his left, a strange structure was located, made of giant white … Triangles? Triangles who reflected the bright sun above their heads. The sky was devoid of any clouds, and though it was early in the morning, the heat was already suffocating. Thankfully, he only wore a white tee-shirt and some short pants that Jeongin had lent him. They had about the same size, though Jeongin’s shoulders were wider.

Minho had seen himself in the mirror they had in their room. It had struck him how different he looked. With this outfit, if his hair grew just a little longer, he could be mistaken as one of them. With some scars they’d be even more similar, but he didn’t wish to get any.

To go outside, they’d left their swords and pistols on the ship. Woojin, Chan and Hyunjin were the only ones keeping daggers under their clothes, just in case. They didn’t wish to attract attention. So now they just looked like normal teenagers, maybe a bit dishevelled, but they weren’t out of place in a big city like here.

Minho was fascinated by it. Alhambra had been buzzing with activity, but this… This was something else. Everywhere his eyes landed, he saw something more amazing than before. Men, women and children were walking on the pavement, going to work, meeting friends or simply taking a stroll to enjoy the beauty of the harbour. The light shimmered on the water, making it look like the sea had been dusted with sparkles.

Behind them, the Levanter would wait all day for their return. They weren’t known here like they were in Alhambra, so they didn’t have to leave one of them to guard the ship. Felix had cast a few spells on it to repel any intruders, but it was just a precaution. For anyone else, the ship would appear as a merchant’s one, like the dozen others in the harbour.

“So where should we begin?” asked Seungmin, interrupting Minho’s train of thoughts.

Without being the most talkative, Seungmin was a nice company and Minho enjoyed spending time with him. His friendship with Felix was very touching, it was obvious to everyone that they cared deeply about each other. He hadn’t had the occasion to speak with him alone, but whenever it was the three of them, he treated him kindly.

He didn’t know a lot about Seungmin, except that like Hyunjin, he’d never been to Aquila. He was very secretive, rarely sparing facts about his personal life. But he didn’t hesitate to help and to speak up when it was needed. When Jisung had once gotten angry at Minho without reason, he’d defended him. Minho was grateful for that. Thankfully, Seungmin and Jisung’s relationship hadn’t been too damaged by that, and the next day they’d laughed together as usual.

“We could start by the shop alleys!” suggested Jeongin. “Last time I came, there was this giant mall selling plenty of magical artefacts and collector objects! I bet we’ll find some interesting things!”

“Seems good to me”, shrugged Woojin.

They started walking, following Jeongin who seemed really excited to be back here. All the way to the shops he acted like a travel guide, pointing a building from time to time, explaining what it was and what was inside. He was passionate about a lot of things, as it appeared, from history to geography. He also knew a lot about the local fauna and flora, like he’d read an entire library before coming. Minho walked a bit behind, not daring to interrupt his explanations. No matter how close they were starting to be, he didn’t feel like he had the right to act as their friend, not after all the trouble he’d put them into. And after all, they barely knew each other, right? He was fine watching them having fun from afar.

“And as you can see, there’s this animal who’s carved onto every building: it’s a sea bird, a rare kind of bird that not only has wings, but also gills!” said Jeongin proudly, pointing to a sculpture embed in the granite wall of the house beside them. “And it can only be found here in Aquila. That’s why it’s considered as the symbol of the country, and it appears on the flag and on official documents as part of the country’s coat of arms. People also believe it brings happiness and joy to their house, so they carve it next to their door. What’s most impressive about it is than no human ever has managed to capture one, not once! The best trackers and hunters have tried, but to no avail : the sea bird is as elusive as the wind!”

Minho tilted his head, analysing the sculpture. The silhouette of the bird seemed familiar; in fact, he was sure he’d seen the exact same one before, alive.

“Oh, I know them!” he exclaimed, suddenly remembering. “We have the same where I live! But we call them goosewings, not sea birds…”

Jeongin turned to face him, his eyes bright with excitement.

“Really? You’ve seen one?”

“Of course. There are hundreds of them around my island. But they can be caught easily, and we don’t think they bring happiness or things like that… They taste good, though.”

“You _eat_ them? Wow! That’s what’s so fascinating about cultures and customs: they’re not the same from one country to another!”

Jeongin clapped his hands, more enthusiastic than Minho had ever seen him. He had always been interested in Minho’s life, discovering parts of the sirens’ traditions. He seemed genuinely interested in the differences between their two cultures, asking a lot of questions and reacting impressed with each answer.

“Don’t tell that to Felix,” said Hyunjin, a smile stretching on his lips.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t take it badly, though.”

“I won’t try my luck.”

They kept walking and listening to Jeongin’s rambling. Minho tuned out at some point to focus on all the shops and the people they passed by. He was amazed by everything he saw. The architecture of the town was like nothing he’d ever seen before. They’d passed the buildings close to the harbour, vertiginously high, and now they were surrounded by smaller houses, painted in every colour. On contrary to Lacerta, which was a dull and grey city, here everything seemed livelier. Flowers were hanging on people’s doors, welcome signs were written nicely on shops’ windows, and people smiled a lot more. Minho had thought Lacerta’s harbour was nice, well here the same kind of atmosphere was in the air. He breathed in the scent of vanilla mixed with flowers.

They stopped at some shop selling all sorts of candies. The sales assistant smiled and greeted them behind the counter. Was everyone so enthusiastic all the time? He asked Jeongin, trying not to speak too loudly.

“It’s because we’re in the touristic district,” explained the youngest one. “It’s their job to be nice to us. It’s just so that we buy a lot of things. They’re not actually that nice.”

“To buy things?”

He knew every good required a payment, but he didn’t know you could actually drive people into buying them just by smiling. He still had a lot to learn about humans. He was glad not to be alone this time. The others’ presence was comforting.

Jae and Younghyun would’ve loved to be in a city like this. Like Minho, they’d always been interested in the world, speaking about it with sparkling eyes and an excited voice. He wishes they could be here with him today.

The thought came to him that maybe he could buy them a present. The idea lifted his spirits. When he got back to his island, he’d bring them souvenirs from the world! He turned to Jeongin next to him, the one he felt closer to:

“I’m thinking maybe I could buy something for my family back home,” he started, a bit nervous. “Do you think… You could lend me some money?”

“Of course! Oh, I can totally help you find something great! What do you want to buy them?”

Jeongin’s enthusiasm was pleasant to hear. It seemed like no matter what he heard; he would still have this giant smile on his face.

“I-I don’t know yet what I should buy…”

“Come with me, I’m sure we’ll find something! Woojin, Seungminnie, Hyunjinnie, I’m off with Minho looking for souvenirs for his friends and family!”

“Don’t get lost!” warned Woojin, but Jeongin was already outside, dragging Minho by his wrist.

“Whatever you want, we can find it here,” he assured. “It’s not the capital, but it’s still a pretty big city!”

They wandered through the alleys for some time, entering shops and exiting them after some time, without finding anything to Minho’s liking, until Jeongin noticed a shop a bit set back.

“Maybe we’ll find something here.”

They entered the shop, and Minho looked around, amazed. The shop was quite simple, not extravagant like the ones they’d been into until then, but the atmosphere was welcoming and warm. He looked at the objects hanging on the walls: it was typically the sort of things that Jae and Younghyun would enjoy. They loved discovering new mundane wonders.

“It’s music instruments,” explained Jeongin. “They’re used to create music. You know what music is, right?”

A brief piece of memory flashed in Minho’s mind. People laughing and dancing, using their voices to create a lively melody, a tune to cheer people up instead of killing them. In a way, when they sang to lure sailors, it was music. But he didn’t want to call it that: music, in his opinion, should bring comfort and joy to people, not despair and sadness. Was he supposed to explain that to the young boy?

“I know, its…” he said, trying to describe it as best as he could. “It makes people happy.”

“You’re not wrong. Well, to create music, people use these kinds of instruments. I don’t know how to play any of them, but Jisung and Chan can! I’ve heard them do so before. It’s amazing. And Jisung has a beautiful singing voice!”

Minho tried to imagine the same Jisung who looked so angry all the time singing. It… didn’t seem right. In his head, he could only hear him speak dryly and aggressively.

“Jisung?” he repeated, as if he’d heard wrong. Jeongin only nodded.

“For obvious reasons, they didn’t bring any of their guitars or pianos on the Levanter, which is a shame, because I’m sure it would be nice to all sit on the deck at nightfall and hear them play, but yeah, Jisung sings.”

“I didn’t… know that.”

“Well, I guess it’s not a surprise since he’s been nothing but cold to you.” He sighed. “I hope he’ll start to understand that you’re not a threat. He can be pretty stubborn when he wants to. I don’t know why he hates you so much! From what I’ve seen over the past week, you’re really kind. You don’t deserve it.”

Minho had no idea why Jisung acted the way he did with him. He hadn’t done anything wrong, or at least he didn’t think so… He didn’t like the uneasiness that came every time he crossed paths with the pirate. He would’ve liked to get along with him just as he did with the others, Changbin excluded.

His mind came back to what Jeongin had said about the instruments. He pointed towards one of them on the wall.

“Do you think he’ll appreciate me better if I buy him one of these? Since you said he hadn’t brought any on the ship.”

Jeongin seemed surprised, but right after his face beamed with joy.

“That’s actually a great idea! I’m sure that would make him reconsider his opinion on you!”

“Okay…”

Maybe that was a start. Maybe that was a way to finally get rid of the tension between them. Minho didn’t like the idea of being disliked by someone. He always did his best to please the people around him, acting so that people would appreciate him more. The thought of bringing Jisung to like him definitely made him feel better.

“Isn’t it too expensive?” he worried, trying to decipher the written notes attached to the instruments.

“It’s just some wood and strings, don’t worry. It’s easy to make, which makes it very cheap. And I have enough money to afford it.”

They ended up buying a small instrument that Jeongin called a “ukulele”, which he assured Jisung knew how to play. Minho was quite anxious at the thought of giving him. Would he like it? Would he actually change his mind about him? There was only one way to be sure.

He selected other gifts for his friends and family, and the rest of the day went by slowly. They had a good time walking around the city and enjoying themselves. When it was time to go back to the ship, he almost wanted to stay like this a bit longer. It felt like for a whole day, he had completely forgotten about the fact that he was far away from everyone he loved, that Jisung and Changbin hated him. For once, he hadn’t wanted the day to end as quickly as possible.

It’s not that Minho didn’t like his life before. It’s just that when the day was over, he felt a kind of relief. _You’ve been through one more. Keep going, you’re doing great._ As if someday, it would get better. No, better wasn’t the right word to describe it. He liked his life, it wasn’t awful, he had everything he needed. But every day felt the same. As if his life was just a succession of three or four events, then rinse and repeat. He was tired of seeing the same landscape every time he opened his eyes. He wanted _more_ , something more exciting, something that would give him the will to get up every morning with a smile on his lips. He liked his life. But it felt uncomplete. And he had the impression that he was always waiting for something to happen, something that would finally make it worth it. Something that would make him wish for the day to never end.

Today had been the closest ever to one of these days. Seungmin, Jeongin, Woojin and Hyunjin were strangely familiar to him, like he’d known them for his whole life, which was of course stupid. Being with them was like a fresh air. They had seen so much of the world, had so much to tell, it felt like they could talk for days without stopping. Minho loved it. He hated the daily routine of life, was always searching for something new. He’d found it.

Unfortunately, the day didn’t end as well as it went by. In fact, it ended so horribly that Minho wished he would never have to live such happy days again if it meant he would end up destroyed in the evening.

They had come back to the ship, contempt but tired. Minho had almost forgotten about Jisung’s gift, but he remembered as soon as the younger laid eyes on him. Seriously, if he could shoot bullets with his eyes, Minho would be nothing but a cluster of holes already. He took a deep breath. He wasn’t so sure that his gift would allow them to reconcile now. But he had bought it (well, Jeongin had) so he might as well offer it, right?

He waited until everyone came back from where they were. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the others. Chan and Felix seemed very pleased with their day, and as they ate local food cooked by Felix and Woojin (Vegemite was, as Hyunjin had put it, painful to eat), they talked about what they had done with their family. As Minho didn’t take part in the discussion and just listened in silence, Jisung was more talkative, like when he forgot about his presence, he could act more naturally.

They eventually went back to their cabin to sleep, saying good night to each other and yawning because the exhaustive day they’d all had. Minho took this occasion to call for the pirate.

“J-Jisung? Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Jisung turned, surprise obvious on his face. Quickly this surprise turned into exasperation and disdain. It took all of Minho’s will not to go hide in Jeongin and Hyunjin’s room.

“Yeah?”

Talking directly to him was way more stressful than having to sit next to him for lunch. Minho tried desperately to calm the erratic beatings of his heart. No matter how much Jisung hated him, he wouldn’t hurt him, right? He wanted to reassure himself. This was all just a misunderstanding. They’d get along after that.

“I… I know you don’t appreciate me much, but I bought… I bought something for you today.”

Jisung snorted but raised his eyebrows in expectation. Minho gave him the ukulele, conscious of how ridiculous he must seem. Jisung actually seemed touched by the present, lips parted in surprise, but seconds after his face closed again.

“You think you can get away with this?”

His voice was harsh again, and Minho shuddered.

“What…?”

“I can’t believe you’d try to make me _appreciate_ you like this. You’re pathetic. You think it’ll be enough?”

Jisung let out an emotionless laugh. Minho was lost. Enough for what?

“You think because you play nice, it’ll make us forget about what you are? You ruined my life! You fucking ruined my life, you and your kind. Without you, I’d still have my parents, and my life wouldn’t be like this! I hate you! If it wasn’t for Chan’s sake, I’d kill you already! I’m forced to live with you, but don’t think I’ll ever become your friend. The others may have fallen for your tricks, but you won’t get me. I hate you with everything I have, and even the sight of you makes me want to throw up!”

Minho took a step back, his eyes wide. He hadn’t expected this at all. His mind was failing to understand what Jisung had meant by telling him he’d ruined his life. He’d never met him before! How could he have been responsible for anything?

Minho was too kind for his own good, his mother always told him that. He always cared for others, making sure they were at ease, comfortable, happy. He always did his best to help. He had never hurt anyone in his entire life! How could he be accused of such a thing?

“J-jisung… I never…”

“Stop lying!” cried Jisung, his features now twisted with anger. “Your sirens, all you know is killing, and ruining innocent people’s lives! Why do you act like you don’t know anything, when you were a part of it all! You drowned my father’s ship, you killed my father and my brother!”

Minho froze. It was the first time he’d ever been yelled at in his entire life. For as far as he could remember, his parents had always explained things calmly instead of scolding him. Each one of Jisung’s words was like an arrow to his heart, hurting him more and more every time. 

And now… He understood why Jisung was so upset. He had all reasons to be, when his family had been murdered by Minho’s own family! In a flash, Minho saw a ship sink slowly before him, the sailors begging and pleading to be spared. This vision had been painful to witness the first time, and it was even more now that he had in front of him someone who’d been directly affected by it. Tears started to form in his eyes.

“I’ve never… It wasn’t me…” he wanted to explain, but he had trouble forming coherent sentences. How could he justify anything? Jisung was right, all sirens ever did was killing innocent people. What could he say to make him forgive him?

“I don’t want to hear you,” spat Jisung. “I don’t ever want to see you ever again. Me and Changbin, we’re orphans because of what your _species_ did. You disgust me.”

He turned, not without sparing a last glance at Minho, who felt totally helpless, lips trembling and tears threatening to spill every moment. And then, Jisung shut the door of his room behind him, leaving Minho alone and shaken by the realization that he’d never be able to earn Jisung’s forgiveness.


	6. Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> finally, FINALLY, some minsung interactions that last longer than two minutes (good or bad? you'll see)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO SO SORRY to be this late again aaah ;-; I was caught up in skz comeback with all the voting and streaming and I had no inspiration and then yesterday I just ,, wrote 3k words in a row??
> 
> i also realized while reading the previous chapters that I had forgotten a lot of details in them and therefore maybe I'm repeating myself or contradicting myself,, I'll reread them to correct it and I'm sorry for the inconvenience !!
> 
> anyway enjoy this mess

∘ ─── ༉─── ∘

“Couldn’t you at least give him a chance?” sighed Felix, not for the first time.

They were all getting tired of the topic, but he kept asking, day after day. However, no matter how many times he asked, Jisung’s answer was still the same.

“I just can’t, Lixie- I mean, try to understand me!”

They were in their room, each one of them on their bed, and Jisung’s bad mood after talking to Minho had led Felix to tackle the evident issue between them. Seungmin was watching them argue, weariness written all over his face. He never got involved in the debates, but his opinion was obvious: he was on Felix’s side. Jisung wanted to scream. How come they didn’t realize how important this was for him? They were supposed to be his friends, and yet they valued a perfect stranger’s feelings over his!

“That’s the problem, Jisung,” said Felix. “It seems like I can’t understand you anymore. What happened to the sweet boy, always ready to help, who cares about others? You’re always so full of anger these days. I don’t recognize you. Minho might be a siren, but he isn’t responsible for what his species did. If you spent more time with him, you’d understand that he’s…”

“I don’t fucking want to spend time with him! I don’t want to see him again! What part of this is so hard for you to get? He’s here because Chan needs him, but that doesn’t mean I have to get along with him. The sooner he leaves, the better.”

He desperately wanted Changbin to be there. Changbin understood. He’d lost his family to their entrancing voices, too. The others hadn’t been through this. For them, the sirens were some legendary creatures far away from here, barely real in their minds. If Minho hadn’t been found on their island, he could actually pass as a human, and they were all falling for this trick.

But Jisung couldn’t forget. Every time he saw Minho, he was brought back years ago, when he’d learned the deaths of his father and brother. The sickening feeling that had taken over him back then had never quite left him. He’d sworn that one day, he’d have his revenge on the sirens. Of course he wasn’t going to befriend one! Who knows how many humans he’d killed? Sirens only brought death and desperation. Why should he be any different?

“I think you misjudges him,” said Felix quietly. “He’s compassionate and really kind. He doesn’t speak much yet, but I think he’s actually getting more and more at ease with us.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he was really compassionate when he got a ship to drown with all the sailors aboard.”

He couldn’t help it: the words were tumbling out of his mouth like poison, sharp and full of venom. Felix was right: it wasn’t like him to get angry like this. But he had a good reason to do so, didn’t he? He just couldn’t stop. It was like he had to be the meaner possible. Since his parents’ death he’d searched for someone to blame. Now he could finally lash all of his resentment on someone real rather than on a blurry idea. Now he could finally start to make someone pay for all the years he’d spent grieving.

“Weren’t you the one advocating for mercy when we first started as pirates?”

“I have no mercy for murderers,” muttered Jisung, his voice dangerously low. “I don’t expect you to understand, Lix. Your whole family is alive, so how could you ever get it? Your life must be so easy.”

Felix seemed hurt by the comment, and Jisung immediately regretted it. But it was too late. He couldn’t take it back now.

“I’m sorry. You know it’s not what I mean, Lix…”

Felix stood straighter against the wall; his eyes darkened. It was unusual to see him like this. He was always the most cheerful, the most eager to look on the bright side of life. But now his face was closed, his voice emotionless.

“No, I know what you meant. That because your parents are dead and mine aren’t, my life must be a succession of joys. Well, sorry to break your perfect illusion, but it isn’t the case. And fuck you for ever thinking this way. It’s not a contest, alright? We all suffered in our own ways. And you have no rights to tell me my life was easier than yours when you don’t know half of what I’ve been through.”

Guilt made his heart clench, and he opened his mouth to say something, anything that would make Felix forgive him. But he didn’t know what to say. The younger was right: he was out of place here. He had been so eager to prove them wrong, to show them that he wasn’t irritated these days without a good reason, but he ended up being a jerk.

“I’m sorry. Felix, I’m sorry…”

“I’ve heard enough for today. You know what? These days, Minho is a much better company than you are. Good night.”

Felix slipped under the covers, facing the wall, and said nothing more. Jisung turned to Seungmin, hoping that he would react, but he just shook his head and laid down too, after blowing off the candle. Jisung found himself in the dark, still seated on his bed, feeling emptier than ever. He wanted to scream. He wanted to stop his heart from aching so much. He wanted none of this to never have happened. He wanted to go back in time and be with his family again.

Felix’s words were playing on repeat inside his head. _It seems like I can’t understand you anymore._ Was there a worse feeling than realizing you friends looked at you with disgust in their eyes? He was convinced to be right, but at this moment he wished he would’ve just shut up. He didn’t care if Minho ended up hating him. But he cared about Felix.

They didn’t have a lot in common, but strangely they had become very close with each other from the moment they first met. Felix had many times joked about them being soulmates, because it seemed like their minds were always on the same page. Jisung, who had trouble trusting people, had immediately took a liking to him. He didn’t want them to be driven apart so easily. What could he do to prove Felix that he was still the same?

A single tear rolled on his cheek, but he didn’t bother to wipe it. He didn’t usually cry, but it seemed all the emotions he had been repressing for too long were getting out. Frustration, anger, sadness, a mix of complex feelings were lodged in his heart and he couldn’t even tell them apart.

He knew it was probably stupid, but he had the horrible impression that he was slowly losing everyone he cared about. The Strays were his second family. And now, it was falling apart too, because of a siren again. Would they never stop torturing him? What had he done in a previous life to deserve this?

It had been a long time since Jisung hadn’t felt this lonely. There had always been someone to comfort him over the past years, Chan or Woojin or Changbin. Now, alone in his bed at night, he slowly realized he couldn’t take it, he couldn’t stay like this, with a lump in his throat and the weight of Felix’s words on his heart. He needed the pain to be gone. He needed to do something, and anything would be better than being left here with his thoughts. Staying in this mindset wasn’t good.

And the only person who could help him was Chan. He didn’t sleep much; he would probably still be awake. Talking to Chan always made him feel better, it was like he had some strange comforting superpowers.

Without thinking more, he got up. Not casting a single glance towards Seungmin and Felix, he opened the door and left. If they were surprised by his sudden exit, they didn’t say anything. Once in the corridor, he let out a shuddering breath. The whole ship was silent. Not unusual at this time of the night. He didn’t know who was on watch duty tonight, but he suspected it must be Chan, which would make it easier. He didn’t know what he would’ve said if Changbin or Woojin had seen him like that, vulnerable and ready to break into tears any second.

He knew the ship by heart, having lived on it for years now, but at night it always seemed a bit different, an eerie atmosphere surrounding it. The realization suddenly dawned on him that this ship had become like his second home. The deck, the corridors, the rooms, every part of it brought him back to a fleeting memory, an ephemeral moment of his existence long gone by now. He had lived some of the funniest and memorable instants of his life here. He didn’t want it to go; he wanted to stay forever like this, all eight of them together, nothing to worry about except for where they would go next.

But he knew nothing lasted forever. Not his life with his parents, and not his life with his friends. Already someone had broken the peace reigning between them. He sighed. His head was starting to hurt from all the anxiety bubbling up in his chest.

He guessed Chan must be in his room, doing some work as always, so he decided to make a detour by the deck before going to see him. The fresh air would help him clear his mind. Plus, he’d always loved the night sky. Something about the immensity of it appeased him in a strange way. It was like staring into an ancient being, who held the memory of all the people who’d walked the Earth. Thousands of generations succeeding each other. The sky had seen them all come into this world and leaving it. He’d watched over them, like a parental figure.

It was stupid to seek comfort in a celestial body. They were so far away from here and did nothing but exist. But Jisung always felt this warm feeling when he looked at the sky. It remembered all the lives it had seen, and he had the strong realization that he was one of these lives. He belonged somewhere. He was part of something greater. He wasn’t alone, because how can you be alone living on a planet thousands of people have lived on before you? The sky remembers them all. And when Jisung would be gone, the sky would remember him as well.

This thought was both soothing and bitter. Because Jisung didn’t want to go yet, and thinking about it made him feel melancholic.

When his parents had just died, he’d wished he could join them, wherever they were now. He wondered what was left for him on this earth when the people he’d loved the most were gone. He saw no point in living, no reason to keep waking up in the morning only to see that he was desperately alone. The people he met, although he had a good time with them, were never enough to fill the void in his heart. Only when he met Chan and the others, he finally found a reason to stay alive.

But he knew it could end any moment. They were risking their lives every day by being pirates. They fought, and a battle could turn bad really quickly. Until then, they hadn’t suffered too much, but they had been lucky. Hyunjin had almost lost an eye, Jisung had two times escaped death by a hair’s breadth, and they had friends back at Alhambra who’d tragically died at sea.

Jisung didn’t really know how he felt about death. For so long it had seemed tempting, a way-out, but now he wasn’t so sure. He knew there was a strong possibility he would die young, but at the same time it seemed like a distant risk, something his mind couldn’t quite grasp. How could he assume the worst when he felt immortal in moments like this, with nothing but him, the sea and the sky? And why was he even thinking about this now, when he was supposed to be angry at Minho?

He sat against the mast, closing his eyes for a few seconds, trying to calm his heartbeats. Being outside really helped. Far from the narrowness of his room, he could organize his thoughts into coherent sentences. When he opened his eyes, he stared at the starry night above him. Constellations and stars had always fascinated him. On this earth, countries and continents were named after the most famous constellations. Children learnt to spot them at the same time they learnt how to read.

There was a traditional belief amongst humans that stars carry the memory of the past. Maybe Jisung’s comfort in watching them came from here. _Stars are history,_ he remembers his mother saying, one evening when they were all huddled by the fire. _If you study them, you can learn about ancient civilizations._ Their names came from legends forgotten long ago, made up by the people who lived here way before them. The meaning of the names had been lost, but the stars remained, brighter than ever. In a world where nothing lasted forever, the stars did.

Jisung found Ursa Major easily. It had been long since he hadn’t taken the time to look at the night sky like this, but he realized he’d missed it. For a minute, he could forget everything bothering him.

“Can’t sleep, uh?” said a familiar voice coming from his left.

He jolted at the sound, not expecting someone to find him here. Thankfully, it was only Chan, his long black coat billowing in the wind, a small smile on his lips.

“You scared me,” mumbled Jisung, embarrassed.

Chan only laughed a bit in reply and came to sit beside him. They stayed silent for what seemed like minutes, before Chan opened his mouth to speak again:

“What’s on your mind, Jisung?”

He’d gotten out of his room to find him, but now that he was here, Jisung had trouble finding the right words. He knew that their captain only wanted them to be happy, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell him what was really making him feel down.

But of course, Chan knew already. Jisung could swear he had a sixth sense when it came to comfort them.

“I know the Minho situation isn’t ideal,” he sighed. “And I know I can’t understand what you’ve been through, Sungie. Trust me, with this, I’m trying to prevent you from suffering even more.”

Jisung frowned. What did he mean by that? He didn’t get a chance to ask, because right after Chan was already talking again.

“I think you should give him a chance.”

Jisung almost rolled his eyes, but figured it wouldn’t be a good idea in front of his captain. And there it was again. The same advice, the same sentence pronounced hesitantly, as if Jisung would jump at him right after hearing it. How many times were people going to keep repeating him that? He opened his mouth to speak, but Chan raised his hand to silence him.

“I know what you’re going to say. You’ve already discussed this with Felix, and it didn’t end well.”

“How… How do you know?”

“He came to see me as I was going to do my round, just minutes ago. He seemed pretty affected, Sungie. He cares about you. He wanted me to talk to you, because you wouldn’t hear him.”

The thought of Felix getting out of his bed to seek Chan and tell him how worried he was about him made Jisung’s heart twist. He had been nothing but horrible to him, and yet he still wanted to help him. Not for the first time, he told himself that he didn’t deserve his friends.

“If you know why this situation isn’t ideal, then you know why it can’t be improved. I’m tired of justifying my actions. I shouldn’t have to lose my friends because I don’t want to befriend someone who took part in murdering my family.”

“Jisung, what you feel is perfectly normal and valid, and I’m not denying that. You will never lose us, because no matter what we’ll always be on your side. You need to remember that, okay? But we can’t go on like that. We all live in a very restricted space, and it would be better for everyone if you two could be in the same room without going at each other’s throat. This tension between you and him is starting to weigh on the crew’s mindset, and it’s getting on our nerves. Although I believe this tension comes mainly from you, right?”

He was right, of course. As much as he was mean to Minho, the boy never once struck back. Jisung had to give him that: he’d never been disrespectful to him in any way. For five seconds, he suddenly felt guilty, his heart clenching when he remembered the look of hurt in Minho’s face when he had told him how much he despised him. Felix was right: he’d always cared about the pain of others, always did his best to help them. It wasn’t like him to act in this way. And Minho had never made a move to harm them. On the contrary, he’d even bought Jisung a ukulele to make him forgive him.

He wanted so bad to let his past behind him, to move on. But he couldn’t afford to be remorseful. He forced himself to remember everything he’d lost. His years on the streets, miserable, hungry, hurting, wishing that it would end, that one morning he wouldn’t wake up. He couldn’t start feeling pity towards someone who’d been responsible for so many years of his life wasted.

But it didn’t work. Now that his mind wasn’t clouded with anger like it’d been when he had spoken to Minho, he actually felt more sad than enraged. He’d always wanted his revenge, wanted someone to pay for his misery, but now he just felt immensely tired. For years he had waited for this day. But now it seemed like he’d ran out of energy.

He let out a sigh. His emotions seemed too complex for him to decipher, and he didn’t know what to do anymore. Who was he? The kind and compassionate Jisung that his parents had raised, who would always do his best to content everyone around him? Or the pirate thirsty for revenge that Felix thought he had become, who didn’t care about others and let his judgement be clouded by his resentment? He didn’t want to be the second one. But he couldn’t act as if his father and brother had died naturally.

“I just… I don’t know what I should do. I don’t want to disappoint any of you, but I feel like I would betray my parents if I acted like nothing was wrong… I’m just so lost.”

It was hard to voice his concerns out loud, especially when he was feeling really stupid to think this way. Thankfully, Chan seemed to get it, as always.

“It isn’t easy figuring what we need to do when we’re facing a dilemma. And this situation is difficult. I don’t except you to know what to do right now, but we’ll work it out together. We always do. I just want to say, I really believe you would like Minho, if only you tried to speak to him without getting riled up. He seemed pretty sad that you wouldn’t talk to him. He looks so innocent, I think that if he was a murderer like you depict him, he would’ve ended us all already.”

At this moment, Jisung wanted nothing more than to believe him. To be like the rest of his friends and accept Minho in the Strays, even if it was only for a short time.

“But I can’t forget what his species did,” he sighed. “What he did, maybe.”

“He’s barely older than you. When your father was killed, he couldn’t have been more than seventeen years old. I doubt he was a part of it.”

“It’s just there in my mind, no matter how many times I try to tell myself that maybe he isn’t responsible. And the thought of it makes me sick. Let’s say he is innocent. He still knew what the other sirens were doing.”

Chan stayed silent for a few seconds, then spoke softly.

“I think the best way to sort this would be to talk to him, don’t you think? He could tell you exactly what he has done. If after that you don’t want to speak to him again, fine. If after that you still want him dead, well, we’ll have to talk you through it. But please, just try. For the sake of the rest of us.”

Jisung didn’t really want to face him now that he’d been so mean to him, but Chan was right, they couldn’t go on like this. Whatever the reason of his presence on the ship, Minho was going to stay for a while. And they couldn’t afford to stay divided, not when they risked their life only by existing. Maybe it would finally help him make a decision about the person he was truly.

“I promise you I’ll try. But I don’t guarantee anything!” he added when he saw that Chan was already smiling, victorious.

“I know it’s difficult for you Sungie, but I trust you. I know you’re a good person.”

Chan was rarely wrong when he judged someone. The fact that he actually believed in Jisung made him feel a bit better. He really had a gift to comfort people. Just a few words, and it was like a weight had been lifted off Jisung’s shoulders.

“And remember, it’s always okay to come to me when you feel down. I’m here to help you. I just want you to be happy, and I’ll do everything in my power to lift your spirits.”

“You already do a lot,” assured Jisung. “I don’t know how you do it, but you always find the right words.”

“I’m doing my best,” smiled Chan. “And now, go to sleep. Tomorrow, we have another day off, but then we’re back on track, and we can’t afford to have our main swordsman ready to fall asleep every minute.”

“Yes, sir!”

∘ ─── ༉─── ∘

The occasion to talk to Minho came sooner than expected. Instead of visiting the city alone with Changbin, Jisung asked if they could join the others to spend the day. Felix wasn’t here, and Seungmin only briefly hesitated before nodding, but his face remained close. Apart from him, they all looked happy to have them back, except for Minho who stayed far from Jisung, avoiding his eyes. Well, he couldn’t really blame him.

He didn’t really know how to proceed. How do you say to someone that you want to get to know them better when you literally told them you wanted to throw up at the sight of them the day before? And it wasn’t like he could have this kind of discussion in front of everyone else. But he had to do it before the end of the day.

Chan hadn’t exactly ordered him to, but he had been pretty clear regarding the issue. Jisung felt like a kid scolded by his dad forced to make amends with a school friend after a quarrel. Well, the stakes were a bit more important here, but in essence it was pretty much the same.

He sighed and eyed Minho. The boy still wouldn’t look at him, and he was busy talking with Jeongin about trees or something like that. It seemed like the two had gotten closer over the week. Not surprising since they shared a room, but Jisung still felt a pinch of jealousy when he remembered Felix’s words from the night before.

_These days, Minho is a much better company than you are._ He had said it because he was angry, but he hadn’t lied, considering how everyone was turning around him. What was so interesting about him anyway? He had lived on an island his whole life, what could he possibly be talking about? Water’s temperature? The different kind of seaweeds?

He was being petty now, and he knew it. At least he could joke about it instead of cry like yesterday. But seriously, it was like everyone was welcoming Minho, when he was supposed to be their enemy. Jeongin and Hyunjin themselves hated him when they’d just captured him. But since they had brought him back from the other pirates’ clutches, they were suddenly best friends.

Okay, so maybe one of the reasons Jisung hated Minho so much was because he was driving him away from his friends. He didn’t know. He was just confused, alright? This whole situation was stressing him out. First he was forced to deal with someone who had maybe taken part in drowning thousands of innocent humans, and on top of that his friends who were supposed to hate him were starting to appreciate him. He just felt lost. What if Minho really was innocent? What if Jisung was really just being spiteful? But then again, hadn’t he every right to be spiteful when members of his family were _murdered?_

He had to talk to Minho and quick because he was becoming crazy. That sure was going to be an interesting discussion. _Hey, I know I’ve said some mean things, but actually I don’t know if you deserve them. Are you responsible for my father’s death or not? If not, I’m sorry for the inconvenience._

Jisung loved his life.

Thankfully, for now, he could speak with Woojin and Changbin and act as if everything is normal. Just meaningless conversation to keep them busy as they made their way to the outskirts of the town to find whatever magical artefact Felix had told Seungmin to buy.

Jisung knew nothing about magic, but it fascinated him. The power one could create with just a flick of his wrist, the endless possibilities of such a gift, it amazed him. Before Felix, he’d never met any sorcerer or sorceress. He knew the Queen’s daughter was one, because the royal family prided itself with her, but he had never met her. And, of course, there had been the sorceress to whom they’d bought the broken compass, the one that had led them to the siren’s island.

This one hadn’t left a good impression on Jisung. Sometimes, the realization dawned on him that Chan still hadn’t said what was the price to pay for the compass. It terrified him. He knew Chan. The Strays were everything to him, and he had a tendency to put his own life in danger if it meant he could save them. Jisung was afraid this price had something to do with him, and he couldn’t stand the thought of Chan being hurt to protect them.

He’d made a promise with Changbin, back when they were just starting to earn their living as pirates and Chan was taking too much risks for their liking. They swore that as long as they could, they’d take care of Chan, making sure he wouldn’t sacrifice himself for them. Because Chan was the thread holding them all together. If he fell, they would fell too.

It felt like so far away. Jisung sighed again. This time, it got Changbin’s attention.

“Are you okay, Ji?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I just have a lot on my mind right now, but it’ll be okay.”

He nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer. Jisung didn’t want to burden everyone with his problems. He’d already caused enough trouble with the Minho situation; he couldn’t start questioning them about Chan’s health. Besides, there was literally no evidence. It was just his imagination running wild again.

“I think it was around here,” said Seungmin, interrupting his train of thought. “Felix didn’t specify the street, but from what I’ve seen, it’s the only shop selling magical artefacts around here.”

They agreed that Seungmin would go with Woojin while the others would wait outside. Jisung was left between Jeongin and Minho and Hyunjin and Changbin. He wasn’t interested in any of their discussions, so he moved away a little. To keep himself occupied, he started playing with a rock with his foot.

He hadn’t been in this part of the town yet. Yesterday, with Changbin, they’d found a little cove and they’d spent the whole day lazing around and swimming. It had been refreshing, not having to worry for once, only enjoying the moment. These kinds of moments were rare. Tomorrow, they’d be back on the road, getting ready for new adventures.

Jisung loved being a pirate, he really did. It filled him with adrenaline and excitation, and it gave a purpose to his life. But sometimes he dreamt of slowing things down, of taking his time. They were always jumping from one mission to another, and sometimes he just felt the need to freeze everything just so he could breathe and relax.

But at the same time, he liked having something to keep him busy. He didn’t know what he would do if there wasn’t always this promise of something more coming. He had always had something to look forward to his whole life. He wasn’t good at staying still.

Jisung sometimes felt like he was a walking contradiction. Or did all people have these two sides? Questioning themselves constantly, trying to define themselves and failing because every time they agreed on something, some part of them would differ? He admired people like Felix, who seemed so sure and confident, like they had no doubt regarding who they were. He would’ve liked to be able to label himself.

“What shall we do after this?” he heard Jeongin asking behind him.

Chan and Felix wouldn’t be back before four or five hours, so they would have to find something to do while waiting for them. Jisung had already visited the city, and he wasn’t keen on doing it again. He went through all the places around here that could possibly be a good option to spend the day. He knew that not far there was a lake, reputed to be a breath-taking viewpoint. He wasn’t against the idea of simply chilling there, maybe eat some local food.

“I know a place,” he began, drawing all the attention to him. He shot the poor rock he was playing with and came closer to the others. He avoided Minho’s gaze, keeping his eyes on Jeongin. “You know Chan always tell us stories about what he did as a kid with his friends? They played in a cave or something like that. It’s next to a lake and it’s not far from here. Do you wanna go?”

“Yeah, why not.”

“Sounds cool.”

“It’s a great idea, Sungie!”

The only one who stayed silent was Minho. He lowered his head, staring at the ground. Jisung was feeling really guilty now. Whatever Felix thought of him, he was way too soft-hearted to endure this.

“Minho?” he asked softly, hoping that the other would at least react.

The siren raised his head, visibly surprised. His eyes met Jisung, and he instantly looked away. Jisung’s heart skipped a bit.

“Yeah?” he mumbled finally.

“I… Is going to the lake okay for you?”

If Minho was thrown off by the sudden request, he didn’t show it. Jeongin’s eyes were going from Jisung to him, brow furrowed. In the whole two weeks they’d spent with Minho, Jisung had never really talked to him directly in front of the others.

“I don’t mind,” he said finally.

Jisung decided to count it as a yes.

∘ ─── ༉─── ∘

The lake really was breathtaking. Blue everywhere, surrounded by plants of all sorts. Several people had had the same idea as them and had already set up their things on the sand, but there was still a lot of space available.

Seungmin and Jeongin started to chase Hyunjin and Woojin, their laughter echoing on the mountains surrounding the lake. Jisung smiled at the sight of his friends tumbling on the sand and ending up in a tangle of limbs. In times like this, he could almost believe they were normal teenagers on vacation, and not pirates on a halt.

He sat on the sand, Changbin beside him. Minho hesitated before doing the same, although he chose a spot a bit further from them. Right. Jisung still had to talk to him. He glanced at Changbin, and it was as if they could understand each other without speaking. Changbin nodded slightly, and Jisung got up to get closer to the siren.

“Hi. Hm, I was wondering… Can I talk to you for a bit?”

Minho looked lowkey scared at the thought of having a conversation with him, and Jisung felt bad again. He’d really gone too far last night. He couldn’t remember all the things he’d said to him, but he knew it was harmful.

“Maybe we could walk around the lake?” he suggested, and Minho agreed in a small voice, before following him.

Except for Changbin, no one noticed that they were leaving, busy as they were trying to tickle each other. Good. At least they were having fun.

They walked for a few minutes in silence. Jisung didn’t really know where to start. Apologizing was surely a smart option. Once they were hidden by the giant plants, he started talking:

“Okay, so first I wanted to say I’m sorry for what I said yesterday. I wasn’t thinking straight, I got carried away.”

He didn’t expect Minho to answer, but he did. He had a surprisingly soft voice, which, considering the fact that he was a siren, shouldn’t be _this_ surprising. Jisung had just never really heard him talk before. _He’d never let him,_ he remembered.

“No, I… I should be the one apologizing. You said your father and your brother died because of us. On behalf of my peers, I want to say sorry.”

He sounded genuine. Jisung was taken aback. He hadn’t expected an apology. Did that mean… He felt the ghost of anger returning.

“I just want to know something. Did you take part of it?”

Minho’s brow furrowed.

“Part of what?”

“The killing. Drowning innocent people. Did you do it, yes or no?”

Minho shook his head vehemently.

“No, I promise you, I’ve never done that. In fact, I hate it. I’ve never wanted it to happen, you have to believe me!”

He turned to face Jisung, making them both stopping in their tracks. The look in his eyes was sincere, a silent plea. Jisung had rarely seen such honesty. He was used to thieves, liars, people who pretended to be someone they were not to extort money from poor unfortunates. He was used to frauds and fakers. He’d learnt how to deal with them, how to stop himself from feeling pity, how to lock his emotions away so that they wouldn’t cloud his judgment.

But nothing had prepared him for Minho’s vulnerability. He was just so earnest in everything he did, with his open face and expressive eyes, like his mind was a book for the whole world to read. His whole body betrayed his thoughts, like a child. He wouldn’t have lasted two days on the streets, but there was something refreshing about his sincerity. At this very second, Jisung realized two things.

One, that Minho had probably never told a lie in his life.

Two, that if he kept acting like this, Jisung was going to have trouble focusing on anything else other than his eyes, pools of melted chocolate framed by long eyelashes.

He swallowed, taking a step back from Minho’s desperate face. The anger from the day before had evaporated.

“I want to believe you, but… You’re a siren. That’s what you do. You kill people. Why should I think you’re any different?”

Minho sighed.

“I know how it looks. You’re right, that’s what we do. But I’ve always hated it. I was too young to participate anyway, but I witnessed it. There’s no excuse for this. I know it’s wrong, and I’ve never wanted it to happen. I’m sorry.”

Jisung was at loss for words. He sat down and ran a hand through his hair, searching for something to say, anything. Minho sat beside him. They stayed silent for a moment, until he started talking again.

“Only the adults do it. At the age of 21, every siren is expected to put their voice at the community’s service. I turned 21 the day before you took me. You know what’s strange… I have been captured by pirates, and I’m grateful in a way, because it means I won’t have to take part in all this.”

He chuckled, and Jisung felt his heart tighten. He knew it could be a lie. Maybe the earnest look in his eyes was faked. But he doubted it. His instinct was telling him that he was honest. He didn’t know what to think of it.

How can you blame someone for something they haven’t done? Even if they witnessed it. There was nothing Minho could do against years of tradition.

Deep inside him, Jisung was glad it wasn’t his fault. Because it meant he wouldn’t lose his friends. It meant he could start being himself again. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He didn’t have to torture himself over this anymore. Chan was right, he just had to talk to Minho.

“I don’t… I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done.”

“No, no, I understand…” muttered Minho, playing with the sand with the tip of his finger. “It’s only natural to want revenge. It’s just hard for me to proceed this. To think that my parents… I knew it, of course. But until you they were only nameless people. I…”

Jisung was trying his best to understand Minho, but this was just too much.

“They were human beings. They had lovers, friends, children, they had their whole life ahead of them… And you just killed them. Why?”

Minho shook his head. He looked distraught.

“It’s just what we’ve been doing for generations. That’s what they tell us when we’re young. _Humans are bad. They’re greedy and arrogant. Never let them get close to you.”_

At this, he seemed to notice the irony of the situation, because he looked at the few centimeters between them and let out a heartless laugh.

“But we’ve never done anything to you,” insisted Jisung. “We don’t even know sirens were real.”

Minho raised an eyebrow.

“Really? You literally kidnapped me to serve a purpose I still know nothing about. That’s why we’re living secluded on an island in the first place. Because humans want to use our power for their own benefit. They’ve done it before, and they’d still do it if they had the chance.”

He had a point. They’d planned on using him like he was an object, a disposable tool. And Jisung knew they were kind, but if it had been any other pirate crew, they wouldn’t have hesitated to use stronger methods of persuasion. He had to admit it. If humans knew sirens weren’t just a myth, it would be awful for them. In a way, they were just… protecting themselves? Yeah, he couldn’t wrap his mind around this idea. He guessed he understood it, but not completely.

“But you didn’t kill us?” he hesitated.

Minho sighed.

“No, I didn’t kill you. I’ve told you, I’m not a murderer.”

“Right. Makes sense. Well… Thank you?”

“I don’t know if you should thank me.”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t kill us. I don’t want to die yet.”

They didn’t say anything after that, both fumbling with the hem of their clothes or the sand, like they were suddenly too shy to keep talking. Jisung had a million questions in his head. He still had the impression that he was, in a way, betraying his parents by becoming friends with him. But his family was dead now. He had to move forward. He couldn’t stay burdened by the ghosts of his parents and brother. And Minho wasn’t responsible. He shouldn’t be blamed for what others had done.

“Do you… miss it? Your home, I mean.”

Of all the questions in Jisung’s head, he hadn’t planned on asking this one. Well, too late. If Minho was hurt, he didn’t show it. He answered after a bit.

“I do. I’ve never been separated from my family and my friends before. It’s just strange thinking I can’t go to them whenever I like. I’m not used to it. Sometimes I just have something in my mind that I want to share, because I know it would make my mom laugh, and then I remember she isn’t here.”

Jisung nodded. He related with what Minho had said on another level. When his mother had died, he’d been looking for her everywhere in the house, before remembering that she was gone. The feeling was awful, like when you miss a step while going down the stairs. For a second, it was like falling all over again. He wanted to say that he understood, but he couldn’t form the words.

“We’ll bring you back,” he said, because he didn’t know what else to say.

“I know. Chan promised me.”

It would be even harder than before to approach the siren’s island now that they had lost one of them. They would be extra wary, and any ship getting too close would be a difficult task. But it was a problem for later.

Now that they’d opened up a bit, he felt himself relax. He wasn’t seeing Minho through the lens of his grief anymore. Maybe he could even start to appreciate him. He seemed sensitive and gentle, and Chan had said if thought they could get along well. Chan was rarely wrong.

“Do you not hate me anymore?” asked Minho suddenly, raising his head to look at Jisung.

_His fucking eyes!_ If he kept looking at him with those puppy eyes Jisung was positive he would combust on the spot. Who had given him the right to be this charismatic? Were all sirens like this? Was it part of their power, just like their voice?

Jisung realized he was staring, and not at all answering his question.

“I don’t think so,” he mumbled.

Minho was innocent. It was stupid to hold a grudge against him. Jisung hated sirens with all he had, but it was difficult to hate Minho now that he was next to him and looking like this.

His whole face illuminated at Jisung’s words.

“I’m glad!”

This boy literally was the purest.

“After what you said yesterday, I was afraid you’d never forgive me…”

“I mean, I had good reasons to do so. I still hate your family and whoever’s responsible.”

“It’s only fair, I guess… But as long as you don’t hate me, it doesn’t matter.”

He smiled. Jisung felt something strange arise inside him at this thought. He was nothing to Minho, just another pirate, another responsible for his kidnapping. And yet he’d bought him a ukulele just to make him forgive him, because he thought he hated him for no particular reason. He was glad Jisung wasn’t mad at him. Because he cared about him? They barely knew each other; they were supposed to be enemies.

“Why are you so afraid of me hating you?”

He couldn’t resist to ask. Minho seemed surprised.

“All of your friends … They told me about you. They all like you a lot, and they were describing you as someone funny and caring. I just figured it would be nice to be your friend too. But then you seemed to hate me… I don’t know, I just don’t like the idea of being hated by someone, especially when you were supposed to like a lot of people. I just kept wondering what I had done wrong. I knew humans hated sirens, but I was supposed to hate humans too, and still I liked Felix and Jeongin and the others. So it was just really confusing for me.”

Jisung blushed slightly when he heard the praise of his friends. He’d been worried of losing them when in reality, they were just hurt to see him like this. It was about time he put an end to the uneasiness between them all. And that would start with getting along with Minho.

“We can start from scratch,” he suggested. “Act like it’s the first time we meet. Forget about everything I’ve said and everything you’ve witnessed, all the history behind us. Let’s just be two boys finding each other completely by chance.”

He extended his hand.

“Hi, I’m Jisung.”

Minho’s smile was a little crooked, but maybe this was just his way of smiling.

“Hi Jisung, I’m Minho.”

He took his hand. His skin was warm and soft.

Above them, the sun was shining brighter than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously have a problem with slow burn jfjhhg like writing this chapter I was like hmm aren't they getting too close too quickly and then I remembered it had been already 40k words and it was about time they finally talked,, 
> 
> and this isn't over yet because I planned a lot of things for this fic, it's gonna get angstyyy guys and when I said slow burn it's gonna be really slow,, hope it isn't a problem I just hate when the characters get together too quickly jdknfjh 
> 
> I hope I succeeded in writing jisung's emotions?? I don't want you to think he like,, changed his mind suddenly,, bc it isn't the case uuuh 
> 
> anyway I hope you're still enjoying this <33 kudos and comments are always appreciated uwu 
> 
> (I love writing chan in this fic I'm just pouring all my love for him in here, CHAN BEST LEADER <33)


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